


Assassin's Creed x Until Dawn

by estel_of_the_eyrie, Macadamians, slimberry



Category: Assassin's Creed, Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Blackwood Pines, Blood, Decapitation, Fire, Gore, Multi, Mysteries, Pranks, Violence, Wendigo, scares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-24
Updated: 2017-06-23
Packaged: 2018-09-01 20:12:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 74,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8636611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/estel_of_the_eyrie/pseuds/estel_of_the_eyrie, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Macadamians/pseuds/Macadamians, https://archiveofourown.org/users/slimberry/pseuds/slimberry
Summary: After the sudden disappearance of Evie Frye and Henry Green, 8 friends return to the mountain to forget what had occurred only a year ago. But, after tonight, that won't be the only thing they'll try to forget.





	1. Prologue

 

## Blackwood Pines, The Frye Lodge, 2:00 AM- Henry

The wind blew heavily, the height of the storm almost at its peak. Snow blanketed the ground, the paths unclear and the trees high overhead. The Frye Lodge stood perfectly high on the mountain. The lights poured out the windows, illuminating the area surrounding the Lodge. One of its occupants wearily gazed out the curtained window, his friend’s laughter drowned out as he caught a figure moving in the trees. His name was Henry, with dark brown skin and shoulder length black hair, his deep chocolate eyes went wide as the figure stared at the Lodge. He bit his lip in slight fright, giving the giggling friends a sideways glance. The more laughing of the four had tied back, brown hair, with a scar running down the right side of his lips. He wore a grey t-shirt, along with a belt to keep his pants up. His feet was covered in boots, stepping lightly on the carpeted floor as he placed a note on the marble counter. Another male with short, light brown hair rolled his eyes at the grinning man. He too, had a scar running down the right side of his lips, but he had a more cold demeanor as he gave his friend a dangerous look. “I can’t believe you actually did this…” He hissed, crossing his arms. He obviously wasn’t very happy with the note. From aside the glaring man, a woman took a step forwards with an unsure look on her face.

“Don’t you guys think this is a little bit cruel?” She asked, tilting her head to the side to show her uncertainty. A blonde male shook his head while chuckling, placing his hands on his hips. He had scars running down his right eye and cheek. He wore a blue muscle shirt and baggy jeans, his brown boots topping the outfit off. A wide grin sported his face as the man with the tied back hair walked over to them.

“Oh, come on, she deserves it.” The woman rolls her eyes, crossing her arms.

“It is not her fault she has a huge crush on Edward.”

“Evie’s been making moves on him, I’m just looking out for my compagno, Alty.” He pointed a finger at the brunette, walking out towards the main room, with the rest following.

“Just because he’s class president, doesn’t mean he belongs to everyone… Ed is my man.” The woman sighed heavily and started walking upstairs.

“Alty, I’m no ones man.” Edward grinned, while Alty rolled his eyes. As the woman ascended the stairs, he looked around the huge, open space for her friend. Her chocolate brown eyes flickered with slight concern as she opened the double doors. A moment had passed, and she released a big sigh.

“Evie!” She called, wondering towards her friends room.

As the friends piled into the room, they got into their positions. One of the other females hid under a partition. Her long, red hair almost concealed by her beanie, her blue eyes shining with amusement as she laughed. She wore a sleeveless pink jacket, with a green sweater underneath, and tight jeans. The tallest man in the room hid in the wardrobe with a selfie stick, ready to film what’s about to happen. The two brunettes hid underneath the bed, the more laughing one of the two hushed everyone. The one named Edward stood near the partition, waiting for the door to open and their target to come through the door.

* * *

“Edward?” A freckled face, brunette whispered, holding the candle ahead of her to see where she was going. Her blue eyes flickered around the hallway, before her gaze landed on a wooden brown door. Her pace grew more faster, her hand extending towards the doorknob. She opened it with shaky fingers. “Edward?” She walked into the room, the candle illuminating only little of the room, but she noticed the man standing in the middle of the room right away. “Edward?” The blonde man stepped forward, tilting his head a bit to the right.

“Hey Evie.”

* * *

Henry looked out the window once more as his friends filed out of the room. He jumped as the figure in the trees started walking away from the Lodge. “Hey… did you see that? Mr. Frye said it would just be us this weekend.” He stood on his toes to try and get a better look at the figure. When no one responded to him, he turned around to look at the other occupants in the room. “Jacob?” Henry walked towards the two figures draped over the counter. He noticed the one with the fancy clothes and pocket watch in front of him. “Arno?” He shook his friend gently, which resulted in a long groan from the passed out man. He raised an eyebrow, and walked over to the other figure. Henry’s orbs settled on a big bottle, picking up the bottle to inspect it. _Jeremiah Cragg._ He rolled his eyes, patting Jacob on the back. “Jeez Jacob… once again, you’ve outdone us all.” Henry teased, shaking Jacob a bit. The brunette with the scar on his right eyebrow and cheek gave a muffled groan, shaking his head while lowering his eyebrows to show how tired he was. _Of course, drunk. The only three who would get this drunk are Edward, Arno, and Jacob._ Henry shook his head once again, turning towards the double doors that lead out to the main room. His eyes then caught a note on the counter where the laughing friends were only minutes before. He stepped lightly towards it, looking unsure as he dragged the note towards him. Henry heaved a big sigh as he turned the note around, reading the words written on it. 

_Evie,_  
You look so damn hot in that shirt.. but I bet you’re even hotter out of it. Come to the guest room at 2:00 am. ;)  
Edward  
xxx

Henry scoffed as he gazed at the note, putting it down in disgust. “Usually I say this to Jacob, but, what has Evie gotten herself into this time?”

* * *

“I got your note.” Evie smiled, putting the candle on the round table beside her. Edward smiled a bit, shuffling to make the tense atmosphere die down a bit.

“Glad you could make it.” He nodded, grinning. Evie breathed in deeply, trying to calm her racing heart. She too, noticed the tense atmosphere, rubbing her arm nervously. From there, she took her jacket off, eyes on the floor the entire time. “Maybe we should start with a little, ya know, makin’ out, and see where it goes from there.” He suggested, extending a hand to stop her from going any further. But that didn’t stop Evie, her nerves were kicking in, standing in front of her crush. Her fingers carefully went to the first button of her shirt, starting to unbutton it. “Ohh, hell yeah.” Edward whispered, but was caught short as voices were heard.

“She’s taking her shirt off…!” The laughing brunette gasped, alerting the female to their presence. 

“What…? Oh my god!” Evie gasped, seeing four more people emerging from their hiding places. Altaïr and Ezio from under the bed, Élise from the partition, and Connor from the wardrobe. “Connor, Ezio…? What?” She backed away from them. “What are you doing here?” She was scared, _terrified_ , **humiliated** , that her friends would do something like this. Claudia then bursted into the room, turning to her best friend immediately.

“Evie!” She reached her hands out towards the scared female. “Evie, hey honey… Don’t… it was just a…”

“Uh, I’m sorry, Evie, this got way out of hand, but…” Edward tried to calm her, but Evie ran out of the room before they could do anything.

“…stupid prank.” Claudia sighed, then lowered her eyebrows in anger as she turned to her, glaring at her brother Ezio especially, knowing he planned this. “You all, are jerks, you know that?” She hissed, stomping out of the room to chase after her friend. “Evie!”

* * *

Henry eyebrows raised in concern as he watched Evie run out of the Lodge, crying. He stopped in his tracks, mind going haywire. He then came up with two decisions.

  * **Wake Jacob  
**
  * **Find Others**



He quickly ran over to the sleeping Jacob, shaking him roughly. “Jacob! Jacob!” He then scoffed at the passed out teen, running towards the doors. As he opened them, he was shocked when he found his friends running outside. “Guys, there’s someone outside!” He warned, picking up his jacket and phone as he followed his friends.

* * *

The six friends that ran outside looked around for their friend, but stayed by the door to not get lost in the storm. Claudia cupped her hands around her lips. “Evie!” She called, eyebrows creasing in worry. Henry pushed passed them, zipping up his jacket. 

“What’s going on? Where’s Evie going?” He asked, eyes searching their faces before turning to the woods.

“Ugh, it’s fine… she just can’t take a joke.” Ezio crossed his arms, dismissing the problem.

“It was just a prank, Eve.” Altaïr grumbled.

“What did you do?!?” Henry glared at them, clenching his fists as his sides.

“We were just messing around, Henry… it wasn’t serious-” Edward was interrupted by Henry.

“You JERKS!” He shouted, running down the unclear path. “Evie! EVIE!” He called, not caring about the storm that’s practically clouding his vision. The group looked at each other as Henry ran off, eyes widened in shock. Edward put a hand in his pocket, looking at the concerned faces of the group.  
“So… should we go after her?” He asked. Claudia turned to him and rolled her eyes.

“Y’know, I think you’re the _last_ person she wants to see right now, Edward.” They both glared at each other, before going back inside to wait for their friends to return.

* * *

## Blackwood Pines, Woods, 2:34 AM, Henry

Henry listened to the snow crunching under his feet, following the footprints that Evie left behind, or what was left of them, the storm was covering her tracks. He would occasionally push stray tree branches out of the way, he couldn’t get distracted now, not when she could be lost! Henry then jumped over a fallen log, cursing quietly as he almost lost his balance, he was never the one for chasing people. When he looked up once again, he came to a fork in the path, stairs on his right, and a platform to his left. Stopping his frantic running, he took shuddering breaths, the wind was getting to him.

  * **Fast  
**
  * **Safe**



“I’ll get to Evie faster if I jump off.” He muttered to himself, walking towards the platform. Looking down, he jumped without a second thought, grunting as his feet made impact with the harsh ground. Henry continued running, looking back to make sure he didn’t miss anything. Only then, did he see footprints. They were frantic, as if they were running from something. This only made Henry worry more for the oldest of the Frye twins. Perhaps she was running from something, if so, wouldn’t there be another set of footprints? Henry thought more about this, but gasped quietly as another fork in the path came upon him. The frantic footprints lead to the left side, almost making him step towards it. He snapped to attention when a twig snapped, fairly close to him on the right side. With his fists clenched, he raked his brain for answers.

  * **Follow The Footprints**
  * **Follow Noise**



Ignoring the noise, he followed the footprints, taking the risk that these probably weren’t the females. The path was short, though, as he ran along it. The male quickly came across three deer, who looked up to him curiously. He stopped his chase only for a second, he couldn’t afford to lose Evie in this storm. He panted, carefully running passed the forest creatures. They all ran out of his way, jumping into the vast woods that took over the mountain. It seemed like Henry almost gave up, the footprints long since been covered. He heaved a long sigh, shaking his head. His ears then started ringing furiously, twigs snapping behind him, he quickly turning to see what was making those sounds. “Jesus, fuck… shit!” He whispered, scared out of his mind. Rubbing his hands together, he continued to walk forwards, looking around him incase Evie turns up. The woods weren’t the best place to be at night, especially in a mountain where you could get lost easily. “Dammit Evie, where are you?” Henry came across a rocky edge, putting his hand on the snowy edge before jumping down. He groaned when his feet made impact with the ground, they were tired of running. With his thoughts racing, he decided to get his phone out, unlocking it and turning on the flashlight. As he directed the beam around, he set forwards to walk again. The teen tried to calm his breathing, putting a hand to his racing heart. If anyone got near him, he was sure they would hear his heart beating against his ribs. “Evie?” He called, his entire body was ready to give out from the cold. If he found Evie, he would find the small shed they built and rest for a time. Henry was genuinely concerned, Evie must’ve been really hurt from what his friends did to come out this far into the woods. Casting his eyes down to the snow covered ground, he heard the familiar crunch of the snow underneath his boots. His body then froze, a moose running passed him and into the trees. _What were they running from?_ He walked faster, not willing to find out. “Hello? Hellooo?” He pursed his lips together, a gasp leaving his lips as he came across a wooden totem on the ground. With an eyebrow raised, he kneeled down and took the totem in his cold hand. His eyes flickered with confusion, turning the totem around to see a black butterfly crafted into it. As he looked into the black craving, his vision suddenly turned white.

_Henry then felt the force of a sharp boulder against his back, coughing blood up as his spine cracked with the force. His body then felt numb all over, tumbling into the cave with a blank expression. Cuts and bruises then covered his body from the fall, finally coming to a stop beside Evie with his mind going blank._

He shuddered, putting the totem down as to not relive what he just saw. With those thoughts in mind, he set a fast pace to find Evie. His stomach fluttered as he walked deeper and deeper into the dark woods, only illuminated by the moonlight and his phone’s flashlight. “EVIE!” He called once again, walking down the hill in search for his beloved friend. A sudden flash of light to the side alerted him of another presence, but it was too far for him to see. “What was that?” He asked himself, clenching his phone as he continued walking. Directing the beam of his flashlight left and right, he stuck close to the middle of the path. Henry jumped once again when the same light flashed to his left side, this time closer and more visible. It was fire, as if it was being shot out of a flamethrower and directed at something. He put a shaking hand to his racing heart, biting his lip nervously as he continued his trek to find the female twin. “What the hell was that?” Now, he was focusing on the sounds he heard all the while he was running. “E-Evie?” He whispered, seeing a figure sitting down in the distance. “Evie?” he pushed the snowy branches aside, watching as the figure turned around. 

“Hello?” Relief flooded through him, that was Evie’s voice! He jogged towards her.

“Evie? Oh my god, you must be freezing.” He unzipped his jacket, putting it on the twin as she stood up. He helped her put her arms through the sleeves, zipping up the green jacket when he knew she would at least be somewhat warmer.

“I’m such an idiot… I’m so dumb.” She sniffed, wiping her eyes. Before Henry could say anything else, they both heard a small scream in the same direction, snapping their heads towards the sound. 

“Evie?”

“Henry?” They whispered at the same time, starting to walk backwards as a large figure started chasing them. They then ran as fast as their legs could carry them, adrenaline kicking in. 

“RUN!” Henry shouted, the small shed he was thinking about earlier within his sights. Only, there was no time to rest, not when something inhuman was chasing them. His ears then picked up the sound of something falling, turning around to see Evie tripped on a stray piece of wood and is trying to get up. Taking the risk of the thing catching them, he quickly helped her up, grasping her cold hand in his own tightly as they out of the shed. Neither one of them noticed Henry’s phone dropping into the craves of the floor. They both took on the storm as they ran forward, Henry looking for other way out of this mess, while Evie stopped in her tracks.

“Oh, Jesus Christ!” She gasped, Henry stopping a little ways in front of her to come across a cliff, the chances of a long fall for the both of them are big. Henry grasped her hand once again, slowly stepping backwards to the edge as the thing ‘crawled’ towards them.

“No!” Henry shouted, his fears coming at him like a tidal wave as they came close to the edge. “No! Shit! No… Get back!” He and Evie both looked over the edge, then back to the creature as it advanced upon them. “Fuck!” He clenched Evie’s hand tightly, feeling her squeeze it back. Hearing Evie scream, made him look back, before they both fell over the edge. “NO ARGH!” Just as they did, he grabbed a very thick root from the cliff, the weight of both him and Evie made him struggle to hold them up and avoid falling. He could feel Evie’s hand gripping his wrist to hold on, as he did hers. The same fire from before was seen above them, along with the same scream that made them both run. “Hold on!” He ordered Evie, even though he was struggling to hang onto the branch himself. A small gasp left both of their lips as a stranger came over the cliff, reaching down for the both of them. But, Henry can’t pull the both of them up. He quickly came to two decisions, looking between Evie and the stranger.

  * **Let Go  
**
  * **Drop Evie**



With tears in his eyes, he looked at the stranger. “I’m so sorry…!” He then let go of the branch, hearing Evie and him both releasing a scream as they both fell from the cliff. The stranger cursed loudly, watching them from behind his goggles as they fall. Henry then felt the force of a sharp boulder against his back, coughing blood up as his spine cracked with the force. His body then felt numb all over, tumbling into the cave with a blank expression. Cuts and bruises then covered his body from the fall, finally coming to a stop beside Evie with his mind going blank. He felt his consciousness leaving his numb body, eyes going blank as he tilted his head to the side. He gave his last breath, with no sound coming from Evie, which he presumed to be already long gone. 

* * *

## The Analyst

Opening my eyes, I looked at the name printed on a wooden plank. _Dr. H. E. Kenway_. Furrowing my eyebrows, I looked up towards the man who I guessed to be Dr. Kenway. He was humming a small tune as he gazed out the window. Once he noticed me, he walked over to the desk with a glass cup of tea in his hand. “Before we begin, there are a few things I need to make sure you understand.” I raised an eyebrow, rubbing my knuckles nervously. I could tell he was from England, the accent in his voice clear as day. “You see, no one can change what happened last year. The past is beyond our control. You have to accept this in order to move forward.” He sat in the big red chair, as if it were from a movie. He clasped his hands towards, placing his elbows on the desk to hold himself up. “But, there is freedom in this revelation. Everything you do, every decision you make from now on, will open doors to the future.” I felt uneasy under his stare, entwining my hands and biting the inside of my cheek. He adjusted his seat, taking out a small, black book with charts on the papers. His steel grey eyes gazed into my own orbs, pursing his lips as he grabbed his pen. “I want you to remember this. I want you to remember this… as you play your game. Every single choice will affect your fate and the fate of those around you.” I nodded, flickering my eyes to the charts once more, before he leaned on the desk once again. My eyes were on him the whole time, hoping I don’t miss something important. He leaned in closer, my stomach fluttered as I leaned back into the chair. He released a small sigh. “So, you have committed to commence with this ‘game’. This is significant, and I want to help you see it through. Sometimes… sometimes these things can be a little scary… even terrifying… but I am here to make sure that no matter how upsetting things may get, you’ll always find a way to work through it.” He grinned menacingly, splaying a hand out to emphasize his point. At this point, I was creeped out by his words, lowering my eyes in a confused stare. His gaze turned back to the charts, crossing one leg over the other. “Alright, we will start with a simple exercise.” He opened a drawer and pulled a small card out, placing it in front of me so only the back was showing. “Could you please pick up the card, and I want you to look at the picture on the other side, and tell me what you feel about it. It is essential that you answer honestly to get the most out of this experience.” Sighing softly, I extended my hand towards the card, picking it up with slightly shaking hands. Waiting a bit, I turned it around, small shudders raking through my body as I inspected the card. The first thing I noticed was the corn field, almost making up the entire picture if it wasn’t for the cottage and the scarecrow. I took a shuddering breath, eyes lingering on the scarecrow longer than the barn. Its arms were spread like it was trying to fly. His right hand was made of hay, tied down to keep it on the scarecrow, while his left hand was a hook, like a pirates. Dressed in a yellow, cotton shirt and tied up jeans that were filled with hay. It was in the right side of the picture, its mask freaking me out the most. My stomach fluttered in slight fear as I hesitated to put it down, looking up at the man once again. He picked up his pen, tilting his head back. “So… how did that picture make you feel? Remember: be honest.” He spoke, fiddling with the pen as I made up my mind.

  * **It Makes Me Happy**
  * **I Feel Uneasy**



“I feel uneasy.” I answered, entwining my gloved hands once more. He nodded, looking across to me from his charts.

“Okay… honesty is good.” He pulled the chair closer to the desk. “But what do you think it is that makes you feel… uneasy?” He tilted his head back once more, expecting an answer out of me.

  * **The Scarecrow**
  * **I’m Not Sure**



“The Scarecrow.” I couldn’t bring my eyes back to the picture, wishing he would take it back before I have an anxiety attack.

“I see… I see.” He wrote down in his book, nodding his head as he listened to my answers. “Let’s say… the scarecrow were not there… would you feel comfortable staying there on your own for a period of time? Say a week, for example?” I bit my lip, casting my eyes to the side as I thought it out.

  * **Sure**
  * **No, I Wouldn’t**



“Sure.” I nodded, looking at the man once again. He hummed, a surprised look on his face.

“And what if I told you that this cottage… was haunted?” He lowered his eyebrows, pursing his lips.

  * **I Wouldn’t Care**
  * **I’d Be Scared**



I huffed a laugh, a sharp toothed grin on my face, all fear of this man gone as I answered. “I wouldn’t care.” He set his pen down, a smirk on his face.

“So, the scarecrow frightens you… and yet… you don’t appear to be bothered by the possibility of the supernatural…” He nodded his head and started to chuckle at my shocked expression. “… I suspect that someone is _**not**_ being entirely honest with me.” The clock rang before he could continue, nervousness flooding through me once again. “Our time’s up, lets investigate that in our next session, shall we?” He entwined his hands, leaning back in the chair to give me one last look before I go. Then, he stood up, picking up his cup of tea and walking towards the window once again. I released the breath I was holding, nodding my head slightly as I stood up, walking towards the door to head home. My hands shook as I grasped the doorknob, fear flooding through me at the thought of the next session. Giving Dr. Kenway one last look, I opened the door and walked out, his words at every corner in my mind. I know this wasn’t the last session, but, I feel as if all his words had helped me cope with my grief for the rest of the week. 


	2. Memento Mori

_‘”Today is the one year anniversary of the dreadful tragedy that took place on Mount Blackwood… Sheriff Annie Cline who was in charge of the investigation.”_ **  
**

_“Thanks for having me, Marty.”  
_

_“… listeners an update on Henry Green and Evie Frye, the friends who are still missing…”  
_

_“One year ago tonight the friends left the safety of Mr. Frye’s lodge and headed out into a snow storm…”  
_

_“…foul play?”  
_

_“Not officially no. There is one individual we’re considering as a person of interest but, his whereabouts are currently unknown. He has an interesting history with the Frye family. He had warned them against pursuing their construction project… and claimed the land was sacred to his forefathers.”_

_“You know there is still the old Sanatorium on the mountain. Could he be hiding there?”  
_

_“My officers did search the grounds but… the friends themselves couldn’t have made it that far…”  
_

_“Something about that mountain seems to breed tragic events.”  
_

_“More than you know Marty.”  
_

_“Well, thank you for joining us, Annie… to all the Fryes tonight… their son Jacob on this, the anniversary of the mysterious disappearance of Henry Green and Evie Frye.”’  
_

The girl pressed the back button on her phone, switching to the video of a teen.  _“Well, hello friends and fans… alright, let’s do that again…”_ The male teen walked towards the phone, zooming it in on himself. One the blur faded, he smiled and stood at a reasonable distance.

_“Alright. Well, hello friends and fans! It’s beyond awesome to have you guys all back this year. First off, I gotta say I am super excited to welcome all my pals back for the annual Blackwood winter getaway!” He raised his hands, giving a silent scream towards the camera to show his excitement. His scarred eyebrow rose as he continued talking, his hand coming up to scratch the scarred cheek on his face. “So, um… let me just let you know, let’s take a moment to address the ‘elephant in the room’ for a second… I know you’e all probably worried about me… and I know it’s gonna be tough on all of us going back after what happened last year. But- I just want you all to know… it means…” He paused to compose himself. “…it means so much to me that we’re doing this. And I… I know it would mean so much to Henry and Evie that we’re all still here together, thinking of them. I really want to spend some quality time with each and every one of you and share some moments that we’ll never forget, for the sake of them, you know? Okay… so!” A grin sported his face. “Let’s party like we’re fucking porn stars, okay? And make this one a trip we will never forget, alright? Yes!” He shouted, the video ending right there._

The girl pursed her lips, looking out the window as she continued to listen to her music.

* * *

 

##  **Memento Mori, Ten Hours Until Dawn  
**

The bus stopped at the entrance to the woods, letting the only passenger out of the bus. She looked around, stepping slowly towards the fenced entrance. As she did, a figure was seen behind her, swinging his machete around as he watched her. The brunette looked up at the sign, _Blackwood Pines_ , she sighed, shuddering raking her body. Her bare hands opened the small gate, passing by it with confidence. 

##  **Claudia Auditore da Firenze**. _Evie’s Best Friend_. Diligent, Considerate, Adventurous

She walked onto the snow covered path, being alerted by a twig snapping. “Hello? Is someone there?” She looked behind her, squinting her eyes to see if anyone was there. With a huff, she turned back, walking on the path.

## 21:02, Path to the Cable Car Station

The small fog started to gather up at her feet, the wind blowing softly as the start of the storm rolled in. Boulders upon boulders surrounded the path, covered in moss, fallen branches, and snow. The snow crunched under her black boots, her limbs cold no matter the clothes she wore. As she breathed out a sigh, it disappeared into the air, making her smile. A closed gate with spades above it then came into her vision. “Closed…?” She muttered to herself, stepping closer. Upon inspection, she found a note taped to it. 

_The gate’s busted. Climb over! -Arno_

“What? Come on!” Claudia grumbled, rolling her eyes at the note. Putting the note back on the gate for others who might pass, she stepped back, looking for a way to climb over. Her eyes settled on the wall to the left of the gate. Rocks stuck out like a sore thumb, perfect for her to climb. 

  * **Safe**
  * **Fast**



Choosing the former since she was in no rush, she started scaling the wall. Her bare fingertips clenched the rocks to hold herself up, and potentially climb the wall. With a small grunt, she pushed herself up, fingers gripping the decorative rocks. Looking up, she weighed her options in her head.

  * **Safe**
  * **Fast**



Choosing safe again, for she was in no rush, she pushed herself onward. Only seconds would have passed for her to reach the top of the wall. Her fingers searched the top for anything dangerous, but only found twigs and snow. With a huff, she heaved herself to the top, standing up to dust herself off. Her eyes scanned the area, making sure she wouldn’t fall to her death. Claudia then hopped down, hearing the crunch of snow and the animals inhabiting the forest. She adjusted her backpack so she could get comfortable, continuing her trek towards the cable car station. As she listened more to the sounds of the forest, she came across an orange squirrel, searching for food, she presumed. “Aww… Hey little fella” She kneeled down, taking a few acorns from the ground and holding them out for him. “You hungry?” She kept as still as possible, not wanting to scare him away. The squirrel walked towards her cautiously, his bushy tail fluttering with his movements. The creature then took an acorn out of her hand, stuffing it in his mouth for later, and calmly walked away from Claudia. She giggled at him. “Cutie!” From there, she stood up fully, walking up the stairs. The lampposts illuminated her path, giving her an odd Victorian aura. “Leave it to the Fryes to make their mountain _something_ of the 1800s.” She smiled, rubbing her arms to get the tension out of them. A hum left her lips, looking at the lights as small critters tried to get closer, they looked like dust covering the lights. Pursing her lips together, she found a sign hanging on rocks. “Huh! Cool!” She leaned closer, getting a better look than before.

##  **Indigenous People And Butterfly Prophecies**

**_“Tribes who once lived in these mountains believed that butterflies carried dreams and prophecies of possible futures. The color of the butterfly indicated the nature of the prophecy.”_   
**

**_DEATH: Black butterflies prophesied the Dreamer’s Death_  
DANGER: Red butterflies warned of Dangerous Events  
LOSS: Brown butterflies foretold of Tragedy Affecting Friends  
GUIDANCE: Yellow butterflies offered visions to Help and Guide  
FORTUNE: White butterflies brought dreams of Luck and Good Fortune **

Claudia looked at the sign with a look of dread, then turned her eyes towards the wooden totem on the ground. Kneeling down, she picked the lightweight craft up. Slowly, she turned it.

_The bird then flew away, landing on the table next to Edward’s hiding place. Edward then stood up, scaring the bird away as he revealed himself to Ezio._

The butterfly carved into it was yellow, offering guidance towards the future. She then set it down, clenching the straps of her bag as she stood up. The stairs to her left lead to the station, her stomach fluttering with both excitement and uneasiness as she followed the path. She looked around, not spotting any one of her friends, she’s probably the last one here. “Arno? Are you here?” She called, heading towards the wooden benches. Her eyes scanned the blue backpack there, raising an eyebrow as she looked around. “Your bag’s here, where are you? You’re not in the bag are you?!” She stepped towards the blue backpack, seeing the screen of a phone leaning out the pocket. It was buzzing loudly, indicating a message. “Hello, what do we have here…” She reached for the bag.

  * **Close Bag**
  * **Snoop**



Claudia grabbed the phone out of the pocket, bringing it closer so she could have a look. “Ah ha.” The phone read _Élise,_ the message must be from her. “Look who it is…”

“Hey nosey.” Claudia jumped in fright, turning sharply towards the man who scared her. She sighed in relief, smiling. 

“Arno!” 

##  **Arno Dorian**. _Has A Crush On Élise_. Loyal, Playful, Observant

“You scared me!” Claudia gasped, holding the phone close to her. Arno raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards his phone.

“Je suis désolé (I am sorry), are you my secretary?” Claudia pursed her lips, holding the phone up with one hand.

“It was buzzing-” She protested.

“Cool. Well, thanks for letting me know. I can take it from here.” He held a hand out, taking the phone from her hands. Claudia put a hand on her hips, softly glaring at the brunette. Arno checked the message, reading it over, before turning back to the female Italian. “Oh! So! I found something, kinda amazing.” He waved his hand, walking towards his bag. He placed the phone inside the pocket, zipping it up. 

“What?” Claudia asked, watching as he put his bag on.

“I’m not gonna tell you, got gotta see for yourself. Come on, it’s this way.” Arno walked passed her, gesturing towards the pathway leading to an unknown area. As Claudia followed the grinning teen, he looked back at her. “Right around here. Gonna blow your mind!” He chuckled, walking on the snow covered path. Claudia smiled and shook her head, following after the excited man. As she walked passed the station, her eyes caught a poster. She leaned in closer, her face showing confusion. 

_WANTED_  
MILGRAM, VICTOR  
Sex: Male  
Height: 6′2″ (1.88 cm)  
Last known address: Blackwood Pines  
Last Seen: 03/16/1998

The identity was ripped off, not showing who it was. She gave a faint hum. “Oh man… look at this.” Arno stopped in his tracks, walking back to look at the poster as well.

“Nice. You think we’ll get a visit from America’s most wanted?” 

“Looks like someone thought so.” Claudia continued following Arno, who huffed and shook his head.

“Oh come on. This place is abandoned most of the year.” He rolled his eyes. “Nobody comes up here.” Walking around the corner, Arno was already at the fenced off area. “Ta Dah!” He presented it like a present, spreading his arms out. “Pretty rad, right?” He asked, making Claudia look around.

“Yeaaaah…”

“Come on! Look at these beauties!” Arno pointed at the target that were in the range, grinning at the female.

“ _’Beauties’_ is not the word that comes to mind. Why is this even here?” 

“What do you mean?” Arno asked, picking up the shotgun next to him.

“Che cosa l'inferno (What the hell), is a shooting range doing at the base of a ski lodge?” She winced, walking towards the brunette.

“Dude. Have you ever met Jacob’s dad?” Arno asked, loading the shotgun.

“Yeah…?” Claudia nodded.

“He thinks he’s like, Grizzly Adams or something. Wanna try?” He gestured towards the gun, holding it out to her.

“You go ‘head, Grizzly.” She shook her head, standing next to Arno.

“Here goes.”

* * *

## 21:11, Cable Car Station, Arno

The brunette scanned the area in front of him as he aimed with the shotgun. There were three sandbags tied to thick branches, all with ‘X’s on them. A soda can rested on top of a barrel closest to him, with another one on the floor a few feet away. Next, he found two beer bottles, both on top of barrels, only one was far away, and the other was under a sandbag. He lined up the shot with the sandbag above the beer bottle, putting his finger on the trigger. He shot, hitting the sandbag perfectly in the X. It shook with the force of the bullet, little snow falling to the ground. He lined up the shot once again, this time with the can on top of the barrel. He shot, knocking the can off the barrel. Arno adjusted the gun, pointing the barrel towards the can on the ground. He shot, knocking it back towards the tree. He pursed his lips, squinting his eyes as he aimed at the sandbag closest to the two. With a small grunt, he shot, grinning in triumph as it hit his target. Claudia smiled, looking at the French as he relaxed his grip on the gun. “Wow. Nice shootin’, Tex.” Arno looked at Claudia, then smirked.

“Alright. I’m bad!” He shuffled around, dancing at the praise. “I’m a badass!” Claudia rolled her eyes, looking at the grinning brunette.

“I’m gonna go ahead and guess it was a wild case of beginners luck.” Arno chuckled, waving his finger in response.

“Nah, I don’t think so, fille (girl).” With a huff, he lined up his shot once again, aiming for the beer bottle under the sandbag. The bottle shattered when the bullet made impact, piercing the air with a _crack_.

“Well, anybody and their brother could shoot a bottle that big, that close.” Claudia teased, leaning on the wooden table. As Arno looked at her with a playful glare, a small squirrel walked up to the range, climbing to the top of the barrel. It was the same squirrel Claudia fed earlier. The criter grabbed an acorn and sniffed it, its eyes flickering around the area for any threats. Arno lined up his shot, shaking his head at the squirrel. He aimed at the sandbag he didn’t shoot, and shot, watching as the squirrel jumped in fright and ran away. “Nice shot.” Claudia commented, smiling at Arno.

“Your ass just got saaaacked.” He laughed, starting to line the gun up once again.

“Ugh.” Claudia waved her hand at his pun. She then heard the faint sound of the cable car heading towards them. “Hey, sharp-shooter, our ride is coming.” She told Arno, starting to head back towards the station.

“Wait, I’m just getting the hang of this.” Arno pouted, giving her his best puppy eyes.

“Come on Arno, the cable car!” She huffed at him, starting her trek towards the station. Arno sighed, putting the gun where he found it. He clenched the straps of his backpack, following Claudia. The snow crunched under his feet, covering the bottom of his shoes with the white fluff. He rubbed his hands together, hoping to warm them up so they don’t go numb. Blowing hot air into them, he glanced towards the Wanted Poster Claudia inspected earlier, eyebrows creasing in slight worry. 

“Man, it is…” He paused, making Claudia stop and turn to him. “… it’s definitely weird coming back up here after a whole year.” They both gave each other worried looks. 

“Yeah, I swear, the moment I got here it just all came flooding back.” She whispered, crossing her arms. Even if they both weren’t apart of the prank, they both still felt guilt at the mention of the two friends who were still missing. Jacob must’ve been suffering terribly. Arno shrugged, continuing to walk.

“A year goes fast.” Claudia arrived first at the blue door, pushing it to get it open, but it didn’t budge.

“Hey that’s weird. Door’s locked.” She gave a nervous chuckle, pushing it once again, before Arno nodded.

“Yeaaah… Jacob wanted us to keep it locked.” Claudia looked at Arno with squinted eyes, the corner of her lips turning up as she scoffed. “Keep people out.”

“He said that? What people?” Arno got the silver key out his pocket, holding it up as he walked towards the door. He tilted his head to the side.

“I don’t know. He said they found people sleeping in the station one time.” After a pause, Claudia spoke.

“Creepy.” She shuddered, looking at the door once again. Arno put the key in and turned it, hearing the familiar click of the door being unlocked. He turned the knob and opened it.

“After you.” He smiled, laughing when Claudia patted his shoulder.

“A real gentleman.” She grinned, walking inside with Arno following her. He then closed the door and locked it, glancing at Claudia as she walked towards the spot where the car should be.

“Must be really hard on Jacob… I don’t know how he keeps it all together. I’d… I mean I’d be a wreck.” Arno walked inside the room in the back, it was eerily  dark, giving him a creepy feeling. He stomped the snow off his shoes, even though he knew he will walk in the snow some more. 

“Well we’re all just gonna have to keep an eye on him.” Claudia sighed, looking out towards the cable car. “He must be going through so much… and he seems like the kind of guy who’s not going to ask for help, you know?” Arno nodded, looking at the poster advertising the Pines.

“Yeah…” As he gazed at the poster, he raised an eyebrow. “What a crazy place to set up house… no matter how rich you are.”

“The Frye’s aren’t _that_ rich.” Claudia rolled her eyes. “They only bought a mountain!” Arno chuckled, turning away from the old poster and walking towards the TV that was supposed to be monitoring the station. He gave a confused hum, seeing it on a bathtub instead of the station. It quickly switched back to the station, confusion swarming through Arno at the discovery. “Ugh, I thought the car was closer.”

“Guess we gotta wait.” Arno said, looking towards the female.

“I’m starting to get the appeal of killing time at the shooting range. How long is this gonna take?”

“It’s a big mountain.” Arno pointed out, waving his hand.

“Yeah. It’s so beautiful in the day, but at night it just feels menacing, like a sleeping giant.” She grinned, standing on her heels.

“You gonna publish?” Arno teased, leaning on the door frame as he checked his phone.

“What?” Claudia looked at him, raising an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Your pretty poem. _‘The Sleeping Giant of Blackwood Forest.’_ ”

“Oh shut up.” Claudia laughed. The cable car then arrived, slowly coming to a stop in front of Claudia. “Finally.” She sighed, stepping towards the car. “You coming?” Arno sucked his teeth, pursing his lips.

“Well, I was just gonna stay here and catch some Zzzzz’s, buuuut… Ok.” Arno grinned, watching Claudia as she walked into it. He sighed, stomach fluttering with excitement as he too walked in, ready to start the winter getaway with his friends. The car jolted, starting its ascension up the mountain.

“Well, here we go.” Claudia smiled, looking out the windows as Arno crossed one leg over the other. 

“Right! Adventure begins.” He put his bag down in front of him, rubbing his hands together once again. 

“I hope this was the right thing to do.”

“What?”

“You know, getting everyone together on the anniversary. I mean Jacob seemed really pumped about us all doing something didn’t he?” Claudia looked at the confused brunette, leaning forward.

“Yeah, no, he definitely did! I haven’t seen him so excited about something in… forever.”

“Good, good… it’s hard to tell with him and I… I’ve been kinda worried.” Claudia raised her eyebrows in worry, rubbing her face with shaky hands.

“No no, it was… it was a good idea.” There was silence for a few seconds, before she sighed.

“I hope everybody feels the same way.” Arno nodded in agreement, looking out of the window behind him.

“We’re all here, aren’t we?” Claudia chuckled, playfully punching Arno’s arm.

“Thanks bro. Good talk.” She laughed, Arno leaned back, letting his weight rest on the cold on.

“You know what? Let’s just… Let’s just stop talking about what happened and enjoy the trip.” He suggested, shrugging his shoulders. Claudia hummed, tapping her fingers on the metal seat.

“You know what? You’re right.” Arno looked around, then an idea popped into his head.

“You know how Jacob and I met?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“No…?” Claudia shook her head.

“Ok. Third grade. Jacob sat in the back of the room, I sat in the front. We didn’t even know each other existed. But, the kid sitting next to Josh started strap snapping the training bra on the girl in front of him so the teacher made him move to the front- where I was sitting!” Arno smiled at Claudia, who tilted her head to the side.

“Okay, so?”

“So I got moved to the back!”

“And?”

“And next to Jacob! That’s how we met! And became friends. To this day.” He spread his arms.

“A match made in heaven.” She muttered, crossing her arms.

“If it weren’t for the fact that Jeanie Simmonds hit puberty like three years early and on that day decided to wear a low cut shirt that showed off her training bra, I mean who know? You could be riding in this cable care alone. Right now. Or talking to some other person entirely.” Arno popped his lips. “Boom: _Butterfly Effect_.”

* * *

## 21:17, Upper Cable Car Station

A brunette with his hair tied back sat on a cold bench, one leg crossed over the other and a letter in his hands. He was dressed in white winter jacket and a pair of loose jeans. Once he heard the cable car coming close, he smiled and made a move to stand up.

##  **Ezio Auditore da Firenze**. _Edward’s New Boyfriend_. Confident, Trusting, Flirtatious

“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. New people. Time to meet and greet.” He stood up, his stride confident as he walked over to the door. There were two buttons, one of which glowed red while the other was green. The wind blew softly, making the Italian shudder in his jacket. His cheeks were flushed red, his bare hands tingling with the cold. As he came to the door, the lights inside suddenly went on and made him jump. “What the hell?” He whispered, stepping back from the buttons.

“Ezio! Hey!” Arno called from beside Claudia.

“Ezio! Over here!” Ezio sighed as he walked over to them, sagging his stride. 

“Uh… are you guys having a really weird stroke?” He asked, tilting his head to the side.

“We’re stuck in this stupid thing.” Arno frowned.

“Can you let us out? Pretty please, fratello (brother)?” Claudia pleased, making her brother roll his eyes. He raised his hand to the buttons, pressing the green one and letting the two out. 

“OH. My. God.” Arno said dramatically. “I thought we were goners. Another ten minutes in there and I would have chewed off my own leg.”

“Aw, sick, Arno.” Claudia sighed. 

“Look I got a lot of meat on my bones. This is all muscle down here.” Arno gestured to his legs, leaning his weight on one of them as he gave Claudia a smug look.

“Yeah… riiiight. Uh-huh.” As Ezio sighed and turned around, Arno quickly swiped the letter he was holding. 

“Bwip!” He grinned, turning around to gaze at the letter.

“Hey!” Ezio glared at him.

“Arno!” Claudia stepped closer, looking at Ezio.

“I’m just doing like Claudia taught me… Other people’s private thoughts are my own personal playground.” Arno chuckled at he looked at the letter.

“Do not be a jerk!” Claudia grumbled. Arno held up a finger, a surprised look on his face.

“My goodness. Seems that someone has a lil’ crush on our good friend and dear class president, Edward Kenway.” Arno gasped. 

“Arno-”

“Aaand… what kind of sizzling erotica might our Ezio be capable of imagining, I wonder…?” Arno nodded his head, poking out his bottom lip. 

  * **Insist**  
“Give that back!”
  * **Explain**  
“I’m with Edward now…”



“Edward and Alty split. We’re together.” Ezio explained, putting his hands on his hips.

“Woah. Drama.” Arno muttered.

“Not really. Pretty clear cut, actually. Alty’s out, I’m in.” He nodded, shrugging his shoulders.

“Huh.” His sister sighed. Arno held up the letter for Ezio to grab it. Ezio grabbed it with some hesitation, glaring at Arno. Arno noticed the tension, and turned away from the two. 

“Alright, alright, let’s just get up to the lodge already. Getting tired of all this nature and junk.” He grumbled, rolling his eyes.

“You guys go ahead, I’m just gonna wait here for a bit…” Ezio patted Claudia’s shoulders, walking back to his spot on the bench. “… see who else is coming.”

“You mean Edward?” Arno whispered, teasing him. 

“What?” Ezio said, surprised. “I mean, you know, whoever.” He shrugged, his boots stomping on the metal ground.

“Uh huh, Claudia?” Arno looked towards Claudia, who was looking out to the beautiful mountain, sighing happily.

“Did you see this view? I mean, holy cow.” Claudia grinned. “Sometimes I forget to just… stop and take it all in.” She ignored the cable car as it descended down the mountain. 

* * *

“Seriously, couldn’t they have built the lodge where the cable car ends?” A brunette with short hair complained, following after the man with a small mohawk.

##  **Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad**. _Edward’s Ex._ Intelligent, Resourceful, Persuasive

“I don’t think it would have been, like, as pretty, you know?” The man with the mohawk spoke, carrying the brunettes bags. 

##  **Connor Kenway**. _Altaïr’s New Boyfriend_. Motivated, Active, Protective

“And where’s a bellboy when you need one!” Altaïr grumbled.

## 21:24, Frye Lodge Grounds, Connor **  
**

Connor followed the complaining male on the unclear path, listening to his complaining as they walked towards the lodge. “It’s getting colder…” Altaïr blew hot air into his hands, shivering as the wind blew more harshly.

“We’re almost there.” Connor reassured him, walking into the small bridge with a roof overhead. 

“No, I mean… I’m getting the creeps.” Altaïr sighed, crossing his arms to keep himself warm. 

“Oh. Yeah.” Connor pursed his lips, shaking the snow from his hair.

“Gonna be weird seeing everyone up here again.” The brunette muttered, looking back at the practical giant. He stopped at the exit, shaking the snow off himself.

“Definitely not gonna feel like a regular party.” Connor agreed, nodding his head. “I mean, what do you think-” The couple jumped back and yelped when a sudden figure jumped down from the roof, scaring them. Connor dropped the bags, jumping back. “Woah! Dude!” Connor shouted, hearing a familiar laugh from in front of him.

“Jesus!” Altaïr glared.

“Hahaha!” The figure laughed, clapping his hands and grinning at the scared couple.

##  **Edward Kenway**. _Altaïr’s Ex_. Driven, Humorous, Helpful

“You guys!” Edward laughed, putting his hands on his knees as he laughed loudly.

“EDWARD!” Altaïr glared at him. Edward regained his composure, pointing a finger at them.

“Ya really, really should ‘ave seen yer faces right there.” He grinned in pure humor. 

“Ed, I almost clocked you just now.” Connor informed him, waving a hand to the side. Edward then put his hands behind his head, laughing once again.

“Nice one.” He said, looking at the couple.

“Edward, you’re a jerk.” Altaïr shook his head. 

“Come on guys, we’re all friends ‘here, right? No need fer violence, just a little harmless fun!” He spread his arms out, looking at the area around them all. “We’re up in the woods! It’s spooky! Come on, let’s get into to the spirit of things!”

“The spirit of things? Seriously? What’s wrong with you?” Altaïr grumbled, looking at the blonde with a disappointed look.

“Just trying to lighten the mood, Alty, don’t be like that.”

“Like what?”

“The way you’re being. You always get like this.” Edward sighed, his eyes narrowing disapprovingly. Connor bit his lip, looking between the ex couple.

  * **Threaten  
** “Back off, Edward.”
  * **Welcome  
** “We’re all friends here.”



“Edward… I’m just gonna lat it out, otherwise this whole weekend’s gonna suck ass for everyone. This is super awkward and we all know it. Let’s just acknowledge it now and move on. Okay?” Connor nodded, raising his eyebrows for confirmation.

“Connor-”

“I hear ya, man. I get it. I don’t wanna make this weird.” Edward nodded, putting his hands on his hips. 

“Cool. So we’re good?”

“All good.” Edward smiled, looking at Altaïr.

“You guys gonna make out now?” Altaïr huffed. Edward gasped and started swaying his hips.

“Oh my god, totally, we’re sooooo gonna make out!” Edward pointed at Connor, winking. Then he rolled his eyes. “Uh… no, seriously, I’m gonna go check on the cable car back down the trail.” Starting to walk towards the bridge. 

“See ya, man.” Connor nodded to him, picking up the fallen bags.

“See ya.” Edward waved.

“Alright.”

“See ya!” Edward grinned, putting his arms up, before casually walking down the trail. Altaïr looked at Edward as he passed, then sucked his teeth.

“Ah, crap.” He sighed.

“What?” Connor raised an eyebrow, picking up the other bag.

“Hey, could you take these the rest of the way?” Connor looked at him, confused.

“The bags?”

“Yeah. Just… all the bags.”

“Uh… why?” Connor tilted his head to the side. Altaïr pointed down the trail.

“I need to go find Claudia.” Connor shook his head, turning towards the man.

“Okay…?”

“Sorry… I just, I really need to go find her… I totally forgot I needed to talk to her before we get all the way up there.”

“This really can’t wait? We’re almost there.” Connor chuckled.

“It’s important, Connor. Please.” Altaïr pleaded.

  * **Agree  
** “Okay, I’ll go.”
  * **Persist**    
“I’m not leaving you alone.”



“Okay… I’ll, uh… I’ll go.” Connor nodded, not wanting to get into an argument with the brash brunette.

“Thank you, Connor, I’ll be back.” Altaïr said, starting to walk away.

“Be careful!” He called after him, starting to walk towards the lodge.

* * *

## 21:32, Frye Lodge Grounds

A redhead looked through the telescope, hoping to find anything good. “Oh…” She sighed softly, leaning back to look at the snowy landscape in front of her.

##  **Élise de la Serre**. _Has A Crush On Arno_. Academic, Inquisitive, Forthright

She leaned in to look through it, blinking to get used to looking through the scope. Her eyes rested on the rocks covered in a thin sheet of snow. More and more snow fell down, the forest falling victim to its wrath. Sucking her teeth, she moved the scope around, looking at the trees and the branches that threatened to drop snow when disturbed. Élise tapped her fingers on the metal scope, finding boredom in seeing only land. Then, her eyes settled on two figures in the distance. In curiosity, she zoomed in. “Woah… Hello…” They were Altaïr and Edward, they looked deep in conversation. Edward placed his hands on Altaïr’s cheeks, while the corners of his lips stretched in a sharp toothed grin. “…somebody’s getting a little _friendly_ … and **not** in the _friend zone_ kind of way.” Altaïr placed his hands on Edward’s clothed biceps, shaking his head as if answering a question, to which his answer was ‘no’. “They might need to check the expiration date on their big breakup.” Élise zoomed out once she had enough, not wanting to snoop any longer before they start making out. But, before she could pull away, she yelped once a face close to the scope scared her. She jumped back, rubbing her eyes to make sure it wasn’t real. She heard laughter from in front of her, then to her right as a figure walked over to her. Her blue eyes looked up to see it was Connor who had scared her, a wide grin decorating his face. “Oh God! God!” She rolled her eyes and shook her head, turning to the side.

“Woah! Sorry there… Sorry about that, Él.” Connor placed a hand on her shoulder, making her sigh. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Jees louise, Connor-” She put her hands on her hips, softly glaring up at him.

“Well, I did mean to scare you ‘sort of’ scare you, but not like for real scare you…” Connor tilted his head to the side, hands gesturing to the side with his movements.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Élise pushed him with slight anger, sighing. Connor raised his hand defensibly, before putting a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, wow, man. I’m really sorry, Él, damn-” Élise sighed once again, shaking her head.

“It’s okay… it’s fine… it’s fine.” She dismissed the incident, looking out towards the snow covered land. Connor then gestured towards the telescope.

“What are you looking at? See anything juicy with that thing?” He grinned.

“Uh-”

“Lemme check it out.” Élise stepped towards it, her thoughts jumbled as she tried to make a decision. His boyfriend _was_ getting a little friendly with his ex.

  * **Mislead**  
“It’s busted.”
  * **Encourage  
** “Take a look.”



“Nah, it’s kinda busted. It’s not really interesting, it’s just-” Élise shook her head, putting her hands in her pockets.

“What? For real? I bet I could find like a cool bear chowing down on a fox or something.” Connor insisted, but he would believe the telescope wasn’t working if she said so. Élise hummed, pursing her lips.

  * **Agree  
** “Help yourself…”
  * **Insist  
** “No!”



“Not really, Connor, it’s not worth straining your eyes. I’m getting kind of a headache just from looking through it. So just… no… no.” Connor nodded, licking his lips to get them warmed up from the cold.

“Alright… uh… sure. If you say so.” He turned and started walking away. Élise looked through the scope once again, before following after her friend.

* * *

## 21:41, Upper Cable Car Station, Ezio

Ezio sat on the cold bench, humming to himself as he waited for _someone_. He pursed his lips, hands on his lap.

  * **Read Book  
**
  * **Check Phone  
**



He picked up the phone, but only for a second when a snowball hit the wall next to him. “Ahh!” He then turned his head towards his attacker, smiling as he saw to it was. “Oh, you did **not** just do that.” He laughed.

“Put yer hands where I can see ‘em. We’ve gotcha surrounded.” Edward teased, bending down to pick up more snowballs. Ezio complied and put his hand up, swaying his hips as he walked towards the railing.

“But who am I to retaliate? What choice do I, a supple, young, rebel man have but to surrender to the strapping military guard come to take me into custody?”

  * **Run to Bench**
  * **Grab Snowball**



Ezio quickly then ran to the bench outside the station, grinning. “Oh, sneaky, sneaky!” He heard Edward shout, throwing the snowball he had at him. Once he heard it coming, Ezio bent down to dodge it, successfully hiding behind the bench. 

“Zing!”

“Crap.” He heard Edward sigh.

“Gotta try harder than that, hero.” Ezio laughed, kneeling to gather snowballs. 

“Where are you hiding, little chick-a-dee?” Edward whispered, coming out from behind a tree. Ezio crouched, stepping out from his hiding spot. When he did, he threw the snowball at Edward, getting him in the face. “Woah! Ah ah!” Edward said, shivering from the cold. 

“Bull’s-eye!” Ezio cheered, running towards the tree trunk. Only, he didn’t see the snowball coming, it hit him in his cheek, making his gasp and shout from the cold. He then bent down, gathering more snowballs with a grumble. A bird then flew down from the tree, landing on the bench Ezio was hiding at only seconds before. Ezio chuckled as he held the newly crafted snowball in his hands, standing up to find his boyfriend. He was snapped to attention when Edward started running towards a tree. “Oh come on!” He threw the snowball as quickly as he could. “Hey Ed!” He was successful, getting the blonde in the back of the head. “Boom shakka-lakka!”

“Ok… no you got me, fair enough.” Edward nodded, bending down to gather more snowballs. Ezio did the same, smiling like an idiot as he gathered some up. The bird then flew from the table, landing on the logs next to Ezio. When Ezio stood up, he looked at the bird, raising his arm to throw the ball. “You can’t hide from me, Edward-” The bird then flew away, landing on the table next to Edward’s hiding place.

_Sometimes doing nothing is the right thing to do._

He bit his lip, halting in his movements. Edward then stood up, scaring the bird away as he revealed himself to Ezio. He grinned, throwing the snowball at the blonde. “Woah!” Edward winced, throwing himself to the side to avoid being hit by the white ball.

“That’s right!”

“I’m gonna find you, Ezio!” Edwaard said, scrambling to stand up.

“And then what?” Ezio ran passed the table, hoping to find Edward before he finds her.

“Whoa-ho!”

“No more!” Ezio said, stepping lightly as he looked around.

“Oh yeah, oh _more_! You’re going down-!” Edward grinned, coming out from his hiding spot. He then tackled Ezio to the ground, the Italian letting out a surprised yelp as he was pinned to the ground. “Gotcha. It’s done. Done city.” Edward teased.

“So, did I go down?”

“Uh, I don’t think so.” Ezio hummed, looking up at the blonde.

“Mmm… I think you’d know so if I did.” Edward sighed, nodding his head.

“Alright, alright.”

“My, my, so are we calling it my favor then?” Ezio licked his chappy lips, panting slightly.

“Ye’re a worthy opponent, Mr. Ezio the Snowball King.” Ezio groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Okay that sounds vaguely dirty.”

“My dear.” Edward whispered, leaning in slightly.

  * **Kiss Edward**
  * **Grab Snowfall**



Ezio then smiled, leaning up and giving the blonde a small kiss. They both sighed into it, leaning back more quickly than they would’ve liked. “Wow… I never knew you were such a great kisser, Edward Kenway.” The blonde huffed a laugh.

“There’s more where that came from.” He said, helping the Italian to his feet. The cable car then returned to the upper station. The couple ignored it, starting their long trek towards the Lodge. The car was dark, unlike it was with Claudia and Arno, a mysterious figure was watching the two, darkness covering him like a blanket.

* * *

## Second Session

Pursing my lips together, I reluctantly looked up towards Dr. Kenway as he stood by the window. The room was dimly lit, the only light that was coming in was from the outside. This session had been terribly late, it was about nine o’clock and I feel like I could fall asleep at any moment. But, before I could, he turned from the window, this time without his cup of tea and a disappointed look on his face. “Hello again.” With that same authoritative aura, he walked over towards the wooden desk, pursing his lips together as he always does. “And how are we feeling?” Leaning his weight on one hand, he reached over and turned on the desk lamp, his cold gaze directed at me. “I believe that in our last session, you were not _**completely**_ honest with me.” He sat down, crossing one leg over the other. “I am an expert with years of experience, _**don’t**_ think you can mislead me!” My stomach fluttered nervously, releasing a shaky sigh. He entwined his hands, obviously angry with me. It took only a few seconds before he got a small book from the drawer, breaking eye contact with me. “This time, we are going to try to understand the root of your anxiety.” He opened the book and handed it to me, eyebrows lowered with a small snarl on his face. _He can’t be **that** mad at me, could he? _ “Now pick up that book, turn the pages. You will see a set of pictures and symbols. I want you to identify which image in each set makes you the most anxious.” He picked up the charts from before, tilting his head back and raising his eyebrows. Taking the book into my hands, I leaned back into the comfy chair, looking at the illustrations on the pages.

## Which worries you the most?

  * **Men Worry Me**
  * **Women Worry Me**



“Men.” I sighed, pointing to the picture of an angry man, then turning the page.

  * **Planes Scare Me**
  * **Crowds Scare Me**



“Crowds.”

  * **I Fear Heights**
  * **I Fear Drowning**



“Drowning.”

  * **Snakes Scare Me**
  * **Rats Scare Me**



“Rats.”Looking up towards Dr. Kenway, he was writing in his charts, pursing his lips as he concentrated on his penmanship. I turned the page with an irritated look on my face.

  * **Guns Are Scary**
  * **Knives Are Scary**



“Guns, knives are up close and personal.” I shuddered, turning the page. 

  * **Rats Scare Me**
  * **I Fear Cockroaches**



“I can just step on cockroaches… Rats.”

  * **Clowns Scare Me**
  * **I Fear Scarecrows**



“Clowns…”

  * **Gore Disgusts Me  
**
  * **Crows Are Scary**



“I love gore!” I grinned, pointing to the crow. I jolted in my seat and directed my attention towards the Doctor when he slapped his hand on the desk, smirking when he noticed my fright.

“Oh- did I startle you?” He raised a hand, slowly leaning back in his seat. “So sorry… you’re doing very well… don’t be nervous.” _What a prick… he did that on purpose._ He picked up his pen, his eyes wondering around the room, before placing the pen down, picking up a metronome. I raised an eyebrow as he placed it on his desk, touching it with his pen so it swayed back and forth, making a _tick_ sound. “Try to… speed up a bit. The more you rely on your instincts, the more honest your answers will be and the more enlightening you will find this experience.” He nodded, taking a deep breath as I turned my attention back to the book.

  * **Rats Scare Me**
  * **Spiders Are Creepy**



“Spiders… they can climb walls and jump into my mouth when I’m sleeping.”

  * **Crows Are Scary**
  * **I Fear Needles**



“Needles.” I hissed. 

  * **Clowns Scare Me**
  * **Zombies Scare Me**



“I would certainly survive the apocalypse, clowns.”

  * **I Fear Needles**
  * **I Fear Dogs**



“Dogs.”

  * **I Fear Dogs**
  * **Storms Scare Me**



“Dogs once again.” Turning the page, I sighed in relief when it was blank. Finally, it was over. Setting the book down on the desk, I looked up towards the nodding Doctor. He reached over with the pen and stopped the metronome, looking down at his charts.

“That is very interesting. Thank you, for answering so… diligently.” He looked across to me, his steel grey eye locking with my own. His creepy stare chilled me to the bones, I certainly was more nervous than in the first session. He licked the inside of his mouth, tilting his head down. “Spiders, Clowns, Dogs. That’s some combination, sounds like a good Friday night.” He smirked, a small chuckle leaving his lips. “Ah…” He checked his watch, his eyes going wide as he read the time. “Well, I’m afraid once again we’re out of time… but, I promise we will talk again, very soon.” He nodded, standing up much more quicker this time and walked towards the window. He hummed the same tune from before, letting me walk out of the room with sweaty palms and a racing heart, once again.


	3. Jealousy

##  **Jealousy, 9 Hours Until Dawn**

“I feel like this mountain gets bigger every time I climb it.” Arno sighed, looking over to his friend.

“Oh yeah? It feels the same to me.” A teen with a British accent stated, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. 

##  **Jacob Frye**. _Evie’s Twin Brother_. Ambitious, Smug, Loving

“Oh allez (come on), you grew up here. It probably feels like it’s shrinking.” Arno rolled his eyes, making the Brit chuckle and nod his head. 

“I guess that’s true.” He looked down at his best friend, biting his lip softly. He wore a sleeveless jacket with a flannel under it. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, making Arno wonder if he was cold or not. Jacob also had a black beanie over his brown hair. His face was semi-red from the cold, his nose standing out the most. His hazel eyes looked around the land, already familiar with what it had to offer. He scratched his scarred cheek, licking his lips as he listened to Arno speak.

“When are you gonna install some cell towers up here? I’m getting withdrawals already.” Arno held his phone up, making the Brit laugh and shake his head.

“You got a spare million lying around and I’ll fix you right up.” Jacob turned, walking towards his family’s Lodge.

“C'est marrant que tu dis que (Funny you should say that)… I think I left it in my other jacket.” Arno and Claudia followed the grinning twin. 

“Whoops.” Jacob muttered, looking up towards the waiting Élise and Connor. They both were sitting on the snow covered stairs, talking quietly until the three arrived. “Hey gang… you guys get up here okay?” Jacob asked, waving at them. Connor stood, looking at the brunette with a concerned face.

“Coulda done with some bellboys, but hey-” He shrugged with a smile. “-can’t get everything.” Élise hummed in response, rubbing her hands together.

“Yeah it was pretty easy… a little creepy though… I mean, it’s just really weird being back here.” She shrugged, looking off to the side as Jacob and Arno walked passed them. But, none of them noticed the figure hiding behind the tree, keeping an eye on the pair as they headed towards the door. 

##  **22:00, Frye Lodge Grounds, Arno**

Jacob turned towards Arno as he walked up behind him.

“Are we gonna get things moving up here or what?” He teased, Jacob smiling in response.

“Yeah man!” He patted Arno on the arm, waiting for a response.

  * **Gossip  
** “Connor and Altaïr…”
  * **Worry  
** “You doing alright?”



“Hey… you doing alright?” Arno asked, tilting his head to the side. “I mean, I know it must be really tough without your sis-”

“Stop.” Jacob interrupted firmly, casting his eyes to the snow covered ground.

“I just meant that-”

“No I know what you meant. You know, seriously, I’m over it, and I just want us to have a good time, you know?” Jacob pursed his lips. “Like we always used to.” Arno nodded, feeling shameful he asked such a thing. They then turned towards the door, Jacob testing the knob. “Sod it… this damned thing…” He groaned, trying to open it.

“It’s iced?” 

“What else.” 

“Maybe there’s another way in…” Arno suggested, looking around.

“There are a million ways in. They’re just all locked.” Jacob shook his head, looking down at the knob. He tried it once more while Arno slapped his hands to his sides and huffed.

“There’s gotta be a window round the corner we can get, like, _get open_ or something.” Jacob scrunched up his nose, standing up straight and giving Arno a sideways glance.

“Wait a second, are you saying we should break in?” He asked, his tone serious.

“I don’t think it’s technically breaking in if you own the place, droite (right)?”

“Oi. Not if I don’t report you.” Jacob pursed his lips.

“Uhh…” Arno took a deep breath. Jacob then grinned and gestured to the stairs.

“Lead the way, you smart bloke.” He chuckled, following Arno down the stairs. As Arno passed Élise, he turned to her.

“Bonjour Élise…” He smiled at her, watching the red head as she gave him a grin and a wave of her hand.

“Bonjour Arno!” She rubbed her arms, looking up at him with her crystal blue eyes.

  * **Unsettled  
** “It’s weird to be back.”
  * **Confident  
** “Nice being back.”



“So… how’re you doing?” He asked, putting his hands on his hips. The smiling female shrugged, bringing her knees closer to herself.

“Mm… good! But… a little cold…” She heaved a shaky sigh. “I think I could use some time curled up by the fire…”

“Yeah… that does sound pretty nice.” Arno nodded, the conversation ending right there. He turned to Jacob, who was patiently waiting for him to get a move on. Arno’s boots crunched in the snow as he followed the Brit to another entrance. The scene around him was truly beautiful, snow falling freely through the trees, blanketing the ground in a thick sheet - Arno hoped they wouldn’t get trapped in the Lodge, he’d go nuts! 

“Élise was looking pretty hot today, right?” Jacob suddenly asked, stopping near the fence and turning to Arno. “She’s like a sleeper hit kinda gal, you know…? Now I just want to rip that parka right off her… make some snow angels. Right?” He grinned, putting a hand on his hip.

  * **Agree  
** “Yeah… absolutely.”
  * **Protest  
** “Cut it out, man.”



“Hey, cut it out man-” Arno protested, waving his hand at the brunette.

“I mean, if you’re not gonna bang her… maybe Edward’ll take up the case.” He coughed into his hand, taking a deep breath afterwards.

“W… will you back off already?” Arno glared at him softly, lowering his eyebrows. Jacob hummed, shaking his head.

“Re-laaax… I’m just checkin’ to see if there’s some blood flowin’ down there.” He teased. 

“Tsk. Yeah.” Arno rolled his eyes, scratching himself behind his ear. 

“Listen Arno. Look around you. Look at these beautiful mountains. Do you see any parents?” Jacob spread his arms out, looking at the french man straight in the eyes. “I mean can you imagine a more perfect, ripe scenario, just dripping with erotic possibilities? You, and Élise, alone at last…” Jacob took hold of Arno’s arms, tilting his head. “You’ve laid all the groundwork… you’ve been a perfect gentleman. Now, you come in, for the KILL!” Jacob finished, giving Arno time to gather his thoughts around the matter.

  * **Agree  
** “Maybe you’re right.”
  * **Disagree  
** “I don’t know…”



Arno pursed his lips, nodding nonchalantly. “Maybe you’re right.” He sighed softly. Jacob raised an eyebrow at him.

“You’re a hunter, bro. No fear. No mercy.” Jacob walked towards him, gesturing his arm towards the lodge with a teasing grin. “She won’t even know what hit her.” He swung his arm back to his side, continuing on the path towards the side entrance. 

“Alright, alright. I got it. Jeez.” Arno chuckled, turning and following the British man. 

“So, how are we planning on breaking in to my parents’ lodge, bud?” Jacob piped up, stopping and letting the brunette lead the way. 

“Wait, I didn’t say I had a plan.”

“You sounded like you had a plan.” Jacob narrowed his eyes, looking to his right to check out the scattered woods. “You better deliver, Cochise, or else you got four lovely ladies who are gonna be freezing their buns off…” Jacob paused to take a deep breath. “…and last time I checked, that’s not a good way to get laid.” He shook his head.

“Well shoot. Nobody likes cool buns.” Arno let a shiver escape him, rubbing his hands together and blowing hot air into them. They both arrived at the side of the lodge, where small windows stood above them, closed. But, under the farthest one, lay a small cupboard, high enough for one of them to stand on and climb into the window.

“Well well well. We got ourselves a thinker. Nice one.” Jacob grasped the sides of it, while Arno got on the other side and put his back to it, ready to push. They both grunted with effort, sliding the cupboard through the heavy snow. With three pushes and pulls, they had it under the window. With a closer view, they could see the lights were on, meaning someone had been inside already. Jacob looked at Arno and gestured towards the leverage, putting his hands on his hips. With a grunt, Arno lifted himself onto the snow covered board, his hands finding the cold wall and pulling himself up to look in the window. Without hesitation, he pulled it open, already heaving himself up and over the ledge. But, as he reached in for something to balance himself on, he found nothing, and banged his head on a wooden table, before landing on the hard floor. He groaned in pain, his hand rubbing his head as a small headache started to form. Jacob hastily climbed up onto the cupboard, seeing if his friend was okay.

“Ugh…” Arno groaned. “I’m okay!” He reassured Jacob with a thumbs up. “I should have paid more attention in climbing class…” He trailed off, slowly sitting up. Jacob raised an eyebrow, giving Arno a confused look.

“You mean _‘gym’_?” He asked, leaning on the windowsill.

“Oui, you know, with the climbing up the rope-” Then as he stood up, the light-bulbs suddenly burst and the room was filled with darkness.

“Whoa.” Jacob sighed through pursed lips.

“Did I do that?” Arno looked up at the bulb, before turning to the frowning Brit.

“I don’t… I don’t think so.” He reached into his pocket. “Here, use this.” He tossed it to Arno, who caught it with a huff. It was a lighter. He flicked it on, looking around the darkened room. Jacob then jolted, a grin coming to his face. “Whoa - Arno- I just got an awesome idea.”

“Let’s hear it.” 

“Okay. So, I am **pretty** sure that I’ve got some deodorant in one of the bathrooms… you could use _that_ with the _lighter.._.” Arno hesitated, shaking his head.

“I don’t- I don’t follow, how’s a stick of deodorant gonna help?” 

“Spray on. It’s a can.”

“Uhhm, yeah… Now I gotcha.” Jacob nodded, rubbing his red nose.

“Flamethrower.” He chuckled.

“Just like we do with the lil’ army dudes.” Arno smiled at the old memories, holding the lighter out in front of him.

“Yup. The ones we melted. Just point the spray-can at the lighter and FWOOSH.” He lowered his voice to a whisper.

“Au revoir (Goodbye) frozen lock.” Arno licked his lips, turning to look behind him. 

“Bingo.” Jacob then looked to the side, putting his hands on the sill. “Alright, so you got this.” He looked to Arno, pointing to his left. “I’m gonna go sort something out - you up for hunting around in the dark for a little bit?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. Arno pursed his lips, then shrugged.

“Nope. But, I’ll do it.” He nodded. Jacob leaned back and saluted playfully.

“Godspeed, pilgrim.” He pointed to Arno, before jumping off the cupboard and leaving.

* * *

Arno then stood alone in the dark room. “Droite.” He stated, turning around and starting to explore. The room was filled with a different assortment of old things from the Frye Family. Snowboards, ladders, brooms, bikes, different paint cans, etc. But, a certain wooden craft caught his attention. He raised an eyebrow and kneeled down towards it. There were brown diamonds crafted into the sculpture, a soft hum leaving the brunette’s lips. He extended his hand towards it and picked it up, turning it slowly to gaze into the butterfly carving.

_Altaïr’s scream pierced the air as he was burned alive by the explosion, falling on the Lodge’s scorched floor._

_Loss. The potential death of a friend_. Arno recalled the sign he’d seen earlier when he arrived at the cable car station. He set it down with a sigh, rising to his feet to find the deodorant. He walked past the bikes, coming across cupboards of different sizes, along with two doors on either side. He chose the left door to go through first, stepping into a closet that was filled with boxes. His brown eyes darted to a newspaper fragment. He picked it up with a sigh, shaking his head at all the stuff he was picking up. “So… what do we have here…”

_The Alberto_  
EX-JANITOR CONVICTED FOR ARSON  
SWEARS REVENGE ON  MOVIE MOGUL’S FAMILY 

Arno sighed softly, setting it back down and quickly stepping out the room, not wanting his friends to freeze their buns off. He dusted the snow off his jacket, shivering slightly at the cold temperature of the Lodge. It’s still freezing, but only less so than outside. He then went through the other door, walking down the familiar hallway towards the main room. The match illuminated little, but it was enough for him to make out the different tables and furniture covered by a white sheet. Arno should’ve been accustomed to the Lodge by how many times he’s been here, but - after last year- he couldn’t. He sighed at the thought, extending his hand in front of him to light his way through the dark Lodge. Then, he caught sight of an open door at the far end of the hallway, but, it slowly closed. “Huh? What the hell was that?” He whispered, stepping up the stone stairs to the door. _I hope my eyes are playing tricks on me._ Arno pursed his lips, reaching out towards the cold knob and turning it slowly. As he opened it, he came to realize he was at the entrance, the iced door across the room. The brunette stepped towards it, trying the handle, but it wouldn’t budge. Then, his eyes flickered to the window, seeing the freezing Claudia and Élise standing there. A small smirk came to his face, pressing his back to the door so he was out of sight. “WOOOooOOooooOOO!” He playfully tried to scare them, only for Claudia to look in through the window and see the outline of Arno’s body hiding.

“Ciao Arno, very funny.” Arno rolled his eyes, looking towards the smiling female.

“Aw, how’d you know it was me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Shouldn’t you be getting the lock open or something?” She asked, making Arno step back from the door.

“On it!” He saluted her, before walking away from the girls. With a small huff, he looked around the room, searching for the entrance to the main room. Once he found it, he immediately walked towards it. As he stepped through, he gazed around the main room. It brought back old memories. His stomach fluttered nervously, expecting Evie or Henry to run through the door at any moment - but alas, they were still missing. He walked towards the stairs, hearing them creaking with age and a sudden weight as he walked upon them. If his memory serves him right, he should go up the left staircase, open the double doors, and walk down the hallway (to his left should be the bathroom). Arriving at the hallway, he gazed into the entryway that was practically cramped by bookshelves and couches. At the end of it, the door was ajar, making him breathe a deep sigh. “Hopefully nothing jumps out at me…” He muttered, moving past the selves and the couch. “…and makes me shout from the mountaintops.” He lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper, peering into the hallway. “Aha!” He grinned, practically skipping towards the bathroom door and swinging it open. The floorboards creaked with age as he stepped onto them, the bathroom looking the same as it did last year. He moved towards the sink and kneeled down, reaching his hand out towards the small knob to the cabinet. He opened it slowly, reaching in for the deodorant, before a small suddenly jumped out at him and ran away. “AHH!” Arno screeched. “SON OF A-” He fell on his stomach, clenching the deodorant can with shaky hands, watching the creature as it fled from him. “Ce que dans le baiser… (What in the actual fuck…).” He bit his lip, rolling his arms around to ease the tension out of them. He looked back at the sink, before gulping thickly and facing the door once again.

* * *

At the entrance of the Frye Lodge, Élise and Claudia stood, shivering slightly as the snow picked up. “We’re freezing our butts off out here!” Élise said, looking up at the door as Arno came into sight. He sported a small grin, shaking the deodorant and aiming it at the door. The light of the flamethrower illuminated Arno’s face as he melted the iced knob. His eyes flickered from the door knob to Élise and Claudia, who smiled and quietly cheered him on. Arno took a deep breath as he took his finger off the spray and flipped the lighter shut. He twisted the knob, hissing loudly at how hot it was and quickly swung the door open, waving his hand around to cool it down. The girls giggled from their spot, giving Arno a teasing look. He then grinned and bowed playfully. “Merci, merci merci. I’ll be here all week-” He was interrupted by the creature from earlier, rushing out of the door and into the wilderness. “EEEK!” Arno jumped, getting out of its way. “Jeez.” He breathed, putting his hands on his hips. The girls laughed at his fright, putting a hand on their chests. “Crap, that thing freaked me out.” Arno sighed heavily.

“What was it? Are you okay?” Élise asked, lowering her hand to her stomach to calm herself down.

“It was like a, bear or a tiger or something-” Claudia cooed at him, looking back to where the creature darted off.

“Aww, it was just a cute little baby wolverine!” She teased.

“Baby?” Arno raised an eyebrow, before seeing Jacob walk up the stairs.

“Don’t worry buddy, you’re gonna be a big boy soon.” He laughed, before leading the group inside. He breathed in the familiar scent of wood, spreading his arms and gesturing towards the main room. “Home sweet home.” He grinned, looking up towards the fancy chandelier above the marble table. The main room was huge, tables neatly set up with bowls of fruit on them. There was a big couch in front of the table, along with a loveseat and recliner. They were covered with white sheets, presumably as the police investigated the Frye Lodge. The only light that came in was from the moon, giving the scene a nice blue tune. The wooden foyer was to Jacob’s right, leading to the bathrooms and guest bedrooms. Along with two sets of stairs that went to the basement. 

“Sweet is not the word I’d use.” Connor stated as he walked in with some of his and Altaïr’s bags. He set them down near the entrance, taking a deep breath once the weight had been lifted off his arms.

“Oh mon dieu, it’s _so good_ to be inside. Even if it’s still kinda freezing in here.” Élise sighed, looking around as did the rest of the group. Jacob nodded and walked towards the fire place.

“I’ll get a fire going.” He sighed softly, taking his beanie off and throwing it on the table. Connor stepped towards the couch, looking around.

“This place barely looks any different.” He observed.

“Nobody’s been up here.” Jacob bent down at the fire place, digging through his pockets to look for a striker.

“Even with all the police coming in and out?” Élise asked, her, Claudia, and Arno walking towards the stairs. Arno nodded.

“Not a lot of action up here lately.” He pursed his lips, a hand wrapped around the strap of his backpack.

“Nope.” Jacob shook his head, lifting the striker out of his pocket and checking for flint. Then, Edward and Ezio walked in, Edward throwing his hands up and grinned.

“Hey, party people!” He cheered, making the group smile at the couple.

“Ciao!” Ezio waved with a sharp toothed grin. 

“Hey!” The group greeted, waving at them at they walked into the main room.

“Hey Ed, make yourself at home.” Jacob smiled, starting to strike the striker to start the fire.

“Will do.” Edward patted the Brit on the back, moving to sit next to Ezio. He wrapped an arm around the Italian’s shoulder, pulling him in closer as he got comfortable. Connor looked up as Altaïr walked in, crossing his arms and walking down the stairs. He made a disgusted face at the couple.

“Oh my God, that is so gross… are you trying to swallow his face whole?” Altaïr raised an eyebrow, while Ezio narrowed his eyes and stood up.

“Alty…” Connor pursed his lips.

“Seriously can he be any more obvious?” Altaïr jested, scoffing lightly. “No one wants in on your territory, honey.”

“Mi scusi, did you say something?” Ezio asked, while Altaïr humphed.

“Oh, did you not hear me? Was your manwhoreness too loud?” He sneered.

“Sounds like someone’s bitter he didn’t make the cut.” Ezio smirked, putting a hand on his hip.

“Yeah. It’s all a big cattle call with that dreamboat. Congrats, you’re top cow.” Altaïr chuckled.

##  **22:28, Frye Lodge, Connor**

“Cuts real deep calling, Mr. Homecoming a cow.” Ezio raised an eyebrow, walking closer towards Altaïr while Connor stepped closer.

  * **Provoke  
** “That’s uncalled for, Ezio.”
  * **Defuse  
** “Chill out, Altaïr.”



“Alty, come on-” Connor started, before Altaïr interrupted him.

“Shut up, Connor-” He extended a hand out towards him.

“Stay out of it, you dumb oaf.” Ezio glared at him.

“Hey, watch it-” Altaïr stepped closer towards Ezio, who snarled at him.

“Oh, you’re not the only one who can put him down? No one else can play with your toys?” 

“You’re such a bitch.” Altaïr rolled his eyes.

“Whatever.” Ezio stated, turning towards the uncomfortable Edward. “I don’t give a damn what you think.”

“At least I can think. 4.0, bitch, honor roll.” Altaïr smirked. “Suck on that when you’re trying to sleep your way into a job.”

“Who needs grades when you’ve got all the natural advantages you can handle.” Ezio gestured to his hips, the corners of his lips pulling up into a cocky smirk.

“Oh please.”

“You couldn’t buy a moldy loaf of bread with your skanky ass.” Altaïr chuckled, putting a hand on his chest.

“Are you serious? Do you think that’s insulting?” He asked, Ezio scoffed and turned to Edward, who was keeping quiet this entire time.

“That bitch is on crack or something.”

  * **Provoke**  
“Shut your mouth, Ezio.”
  * **Defuse**  
“Altaïr, stop!”



“Ezio, you need to shut your mouth, okay?” Connor stated firmly, looking towards the glaring Italian.

“No, you’re the one who needs to keep your nose out of other people’s business!” He shouted.

“I’m about to get right up in your business, you whore-”

“Are we about to get real? Cause I am down to get real.” Jacob then stood up, a blank expression on his face.

“STOP IT!” He raised his voice, his arms spread out. “This is not why we came up here. This is not… helping.” He stepped down from the fireplace. “It’s not what I wanted.” He shook his head, gesturing towards the both of them. “If we can’t get along for ten minutes, then maybe we need a little bit of a break, yeah?” He looked towards Edward. “Edward - why don’t you check out the guest cabin. The one I told you about.” Edward nodded, standing up and looking towards Ezio.

“Yeah… yeah alright. Want to go do that?” He asked the Italian.

“Anywhere away from that stupid cazzo.” He huffed, grasping Edward’s hand walking towards the side entrance.

“It’s right up the trail.” Jacob sighed, running a hand through his hair. When the couple walked out, Connor put his hands on his head, shaking it slightly.

“…Glad that’s over!” He breathed, turning towards Jacob as he - once again - tried to get the fire going.

“Yeah.” Jacob agreed, nodding his head.

“So, Jacob… Uh, should we get this fire going?” Connor asked, before Altaïr looked at his bags.

“Where’s my bag?” He asked, looking at the confused Connor.

“Huh?”

“My bag! The… the little bag with the grey pattern! The one I got on Rodeo!” He paused. “Connor, are you listening?” He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you remember? Next to the Italian shoe place where I got the sneakers and you knocked over the rack while you were drooling all over that girl at the counter?” Connor scoffed playfully, walking towards him.

“Well, I mean.” He shrugged. “She was asking about my letter jacket-”

“Like she gave a damn about your ‘designer’ letter jacket.” Connor grumbled.

“Why do you hate my jacket?”

“Connor, I need my bag.”

“Oh my god, Alty, maybe you just forgot it!”

“Do you really think I’d forget my bag?”

“Well, I-”

“Do you?” Connor huffed, putting his hands on his hips.

“Guess not.” Altaïr pursed his lips.

“You must have left it down by the cable car station.” He said.

“Ugh!” Connor cast his eyes to the ground, shaking his head.

“C’mon, Con. We’ll be back soon.” Connor then huffed a laugh.

“And then we can get warm?” Altaïr smiled at his suggestion.

“We can get _very_ warm.” After his statement, Connor nodded, gesturing towards the door they both entered.

“Okay. Okay, let’s go.” They both then walked off, Connor waving his goodbyes at the four left before exiting with Altaïr. Claudia sighed, then stood up.

“Va bene, I am gonna go take a bath.” She nodded, walking up the stairs leading to the bathroom.

* * *

Edward and Ezio then exited the door and out into the snowy lands again. “Exiled.” Edward smirked as he followed Ezio towards the railing. 

“Sex-iled.” Ezio chuckled, going to the railing and crossing his arms.

“Works for me.” Edward shrugged, turning the flashlight on and directing it towards the shivering male.

“How far is this _cabin_ anyway?” They both leaned on the railing, while Edward grasped Ezio’s chin and tilting his head towards the blonde.

“This cabin… is the coziest, most romantic, love den ye will e’er lay yer eyes on.” He smiled at the brunette. 

“Psh. If we ever make it.” Ezio smirked.

“Oh, I have a feelin’ luck is on our side.” The blonde nodded, watching Ezio as he stepped back with a teasing smirk.

“Play your cards right and maybe you will get lucky.” He grasped Edward’s hand, starting to lead him towards the stairs, before the grinning Jacob opened the door.

“Hey! Porn stars! You’re gonna need these.” He tossed a key at Ezio, who raised an eyebrow and caught them.

“Porn star?” He asked.

“I’d pay to see it.” Jacob chuckled, stepping out the door frame.

“Lordo (Gross).” Ezio rolled his eyes. Jacob then scratched the back of his head, walking towards the pair.

“Look, sorry to kick you out like that-” He started, before Edward shook his head at the Brit.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll find a way to entertain yourselves.” He chuckled, making Ezio hummed in confirmation. 

“You have fun with the peanut gallery.” He smiled. Jacob then pointed a finger gun to the side of his head, and make a playful explosion come out the other side. He laughed then, walking towards the door, but, he stopped.

“Oh! Almost forgot. Gotta fire up the generator so you can see where you’re going. It’s dark out there.” He huffed a laugh, before going back inside.

“Aye Captain.” Edward nodded, turning towards the stairs to start their adventure to the cabin.

“I think Jacob was flirting with me.” Ezio put a hand on his hip, giving Edward a sideways glance.

“Mmkay. You want ta invite him up with us?” Ezio gave him a shocked look.

“Wait, really?” 

“What? No!” 

##  **22:43, Frye Lodge Grounds, Edward**

They then started their descent down the stairs, out to the snowy environment of Blackwood Pines. Edward walked behind Ezio, letting him lead the way towards the cabin. The path was easy to follow, being fenced off and cleared of any rocks and trees. The Frye’s really did want them to enjoy their weekend and make the best of it, without any distractions. Edward pursed his lips, looking to Ezio as he shivered. “È il congelamento… (It is freezing…)!” Ezio said through a shaky breath, rubbing his hands together and holding them close. The blonde chuckled behind him with a smirk.

“That’s somethin’ I can help ya with.” Edward raised his eyebrow, licking his chapped lips.

“And how’re you gonna do that?” Ezio laughed, putting his hands in his pocket.

“I got a few things in mind.” He nodded, making the brunette smile and continue walking. Only, he stopped and turned towards Edward, who was giving him a confused look.

“Altaïr’s as dumb as he looks if he thinks he can cut in on what we got going on. Maybe, if we’re lucky enough, he’ll follow us out here and get eaten by a bear.” Edward heaved a soft sigh at Ezio’s words, directing the flashlight towards the ground.

  * **Agree  
** “Altaïr was being an ass.”
  * **Disagree  
** “Ease up on Alty, okay?”



“I think you bring out the worse in him.” Edward smiled.

“Is that so?”

“Mmhm. Epic jealousy.” Ezio hummed.

“Suck it.” The brunette then let Edward lead, coming across a gate. His bright blue eyes looked at the gate, then to his right where another path lay towards a small shed. 

“Generator must be that way.” Edward muttered, walking along the path towards the shed. As they got closer, he noticed the shed was incredibly dark, if he didn’t have his flashlight, he was sure he wouldn’t go in there. The doors were open, which proved to be a relief to Edward. But, upon inspection, he found a wooden carving on the ground. With a small hum, he kneeled down and picked it up. Edward grumbled as he turned the carving. Gazing into the butterfly, he was attacked by a sudden vision. 

_The Psycho then growled at Élise, raising his arm and punching her harshly in the eye. “Live and learn!” He shouted menacingly as she fell to the ground._

The Butterfly was red, predicting danger to Élise. “I wish you would _generate_ some _excitement_ about getting that GENERATOR TO WORK!” Ezio shivered, crossing his arms with a huff. 

“Okay, I’ll just yell at it like you’re yelling at me, let’s see if that works.” Edward muttered, putting the totem back on the ground and standing up. In the shed, he could clearly see the red generator, just waiting for him to light up. “Allllright. Let’s see.” Edward breathed, opening the small compartment to the generator and flipping the switch on, the light turning yellow. “Boom! Nice one, Eddy!” He grasped the crank next, giving it one strong pull. It started, but Edward knew better, giving it one last pull before it ran on its own. All along the path, lights flickered on, making Ezio grin in fake admiration.

“Woo! Va bene, Harry Potter!” Edward took a deep breath, before moving out the shed - not one of them noticed the figure watching them through the window, through goggles and the heaviest of clothes to shield him from the winter. Edward then stepped out of the shed, looking towards Ezio to make sure he was ready to press on. When they both smiled at each other, Edward walked past Ezio, heading towards the gate. As he looked towards the gate, he noticed a lock with buttons on it. Edward pressed the top one, a green light signaling the gate had power and would let them pass through. He put his hand on the handle and lifted it up. “The gates shall open!” Ezio cheered as Edward pushed the gate open. Ezio took out his phone, which was playing romantic music, skipping past Edward. “Pretty good right?” Turning towards the blonde who closed the gate and walked towards the waiting brunette.

“Yeah totally! This is… awesome.”

“Mmhm… I bring the hits!” Ezio raised his hand in the air and grinned happily. They both walked over the snowy bridge, Edward smiled at Ezio’s happiness, quickly catching up with him. They both walked up the wooden stairs, looking around the familiar land to take in the snow-covered trees. They had small conversations as they followed the path, usually Ezio brought them up and Edward replied with the biggest smile on his scarred face. But, Ezio looked at a flicker of yellow, stopping to inspect it. Upon looking, he found out it was police tape from the investigation. “Police tape…” Edward pursed his lips, nodding slowly.

“From Evie and Henry.” He stated, getting an odd look from the brunette.

“You’d think they’d clean it up.” Edward shrugged, looking around.

“Well, they never closed the investigation.” Ezio huffed, crossing his arms.

“Va bene, I’m getting the creeps now…” He looked down with a guilty look on his face. **  
**

  * **Respectful  
** “I hope they’re at peace.”
  * **Ask  
** “What do you remember?”



“It’s all such a blur. I can barely even remember what happened.” Edward whispered, raising a hand to run it through his rough hair.

“Well, what I remember is that we played a stupid, half baked prank that probably got Evie and Henry killed.” Edward stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, it’s not our fault they ran into the woods.”

“Yeah… how could anyone have expected them to do a dumb thing like that?” Ezio raised an eyebrow, before turning and walking ahead of the offended Edward. He tilted his head to the side, but didn’t comment on it, following Ezio before he lost sight of him. After another flight of stairs, Edward huffed and bit his lip. Then, they both jumped in fright as a loud scream rang out through the supposedly empty woods. They surveyed the woods, breathing deeply to calm their racing hearts. “Ermmm… Did you hear that?” Ezio whispered.

“I heard… something.” Edward nodded, gesturing towards more stairs to climb. Even before he got up the stairs, he found the path now blocked by a cut down tree and plenty of boulders. “I don’t think we can get up to the cabin with the path blocked like this-”

“Oh, no way am I going back to the lodge a.k.a. wax museum to drink hot chocolate with Altaïr.” Edward shrugged, turning towards the brunette who was walking towards a cave. “You know what? Fuck it. We’re adventurous. We will find another way around.” Ezio scoffed, finding a small gate and leaning on it to see what’s in the cage - it broke, and Ezio screamed as he fell down. 

“EZIO!” Edward shouted, looking inside the cave as Ezio recovered from his fall. “Fuck! Hey, Ezio!”

“Si, si, I’m okay!” Ezio confirmed, standing up fully and dusting himself off. Edward sighed in relief and put a hand on his head.

“Holy crap, ya scared the heck out of me.”

“How do you think I felt?” Ezio chuckled, turning to look at the worried Edward.

“Er, ya didn’t hit yer head or anything?” He asked, kneeling down.

“As far as I can tell. I still have all seven of my limbs!” Ezio spread his arms out. Edward let out a small chuckle, standing back up.

“Can ya get out?” He asked, pointing the flashlight down at the brunette.

“Um, I don’t know! I can hardly see anything down here…” Ezio gazed up at Edward, not knowing what to do.

  * **Cautious  
** “Push the cart!”
  * **Heroic  
** “I’ll jump down!”



“Alright, comin’ after ya, just stay put!” Edward said, putting a hand on the ground to steady himself as he jumped down. The same figure from earlier was seen behind him, but was not seen by the couple. “Umpfh!” Edward huffed as his feet made impact with the rough ground. Ezio sighed happily at his arrival, gesturing with his head to the cart that blocked their path.

“Hey handsome, wanna help me move this thing?” Edward nodded without any hesitation, putting his hands on the rusted cart and starting to push. He grunted with effort, it was very heavy.

“Alright. Help me move it, help me move it.” He whispered.

“Va bene.” Ezio nodded, putting his hands on the cart as well. They both then pushed it, the cart easily rolling along the metal tracks and out of their way. Once a space was revealed to them, they pulled back, Edward taking a deep breath to regain his breathing.

“When I imagined us grunting together… this is not what I pictured…” Edward bit his lip, Ezio laughing happily beside him, pushing him a bit. They then pressed on, walking through the underground mines to find another way to the cabin. The atmosphere was incredibly dusty, not having been used in a very long time. There were old wooden beams that held up the mine, railroad tracks for the carts, but some were overturned and laid out to the side above rock piles. They followed the tracks, with Edward directing the flashlight to illuminate the way. Then, a cart suddenly barreled towards them, and Edward was quick to try and stop it. “Woah! Woah, woah!” He grunted, slowly bringing the cart to a stop, before jumping to the side to let it slowly slide down the tracks.

“Holy crap! Dio mio, are you okay?” Edward pursed his lips, letting out a small grunt, that really tired him out.

“Ah… yeah…” He sighed, nodding. “I’m fine.” Ezio nodded, putting a hand on his arm. 

“Let’s just get out of here.” 

“Amen to that.” Edward then took the lead, taking a right at the path up ahead. It was a dead end - but another wooden carving on the ground caught his attention. This time, it looked like a bird with a white mask on it. He kneeled down, slowly picking it up to gaze into it. 

_Ezio slowly woke up, different bloody cuts on his person that ached terribly. He groaned as he sat up, mouth falling open in a silent scream at how many cuts littered his once beautiful body. He looked around, fearing the monster would come back to finish the job._

_Fortune?_ Edward hummed, setting the totem down. Then, he heard a silent whisper and the sound of nails tapping against rocks. He narrowed his eyes, confused. “What was that…?” He muttered to himself, shaking his head to rid himself of these thoughts. They went through the mines some more after that, walking up the steep stairs coming across the base of operations for the mines. Edward - being curious - stepped forwards and looked at a map on the dusty table. There was a big **‘DANGER’** printed almost everywhere on the map. Certain areas were colored red, the danger sign either above or below it. _‘Collapsed Supports (Rust), Extreme Rockfall Danger, Flood Risk?’_ Edward raised an eyebrow. “Jaysus. This place is a real fixer upper.” He commented, before following the waiting Italian through the mines. Soon, they both would see moonlight flooding through an exit, snow falling more steadily now.

“Finally! A little ray of hope!” Ezio sighed happily, walking out the cave. With them out of the dusty mines, Edward breathed a deep sigh and walked at a rapid pace, wanting to get to the cabin before they froze to death. He pursed his lips, looking up at a sign. _‘CABIN – >’  _Edward walked ahead of Ezio, starting to ascend the stairs. “Well well. When Jacob said _‘cabin’_ I thought like, Abe Lincoln.” Edward huffed a laugh, giving Ezio a sideways glance.

“Wait’ll you see the Lincoln Bedroom.” Ezio smirked, looking up at Edward.

“Oh, are you planning on getting presidential on me?” He teased, putting his hands on his hips.

“Wanna take a ride on Air Force One?” Edward raised an eyebrow, following the snowy path towards a large sign and telescope.

“Va bene, va bene, save it for the stump speech, buddy.” Ezio skipped over to the telescope, leaning in to get a closer look. “Oooh, a telescope!” He put his hands on either side, looking around. “Gonna look at the trees… gonna look at the clouds… gonna look at the cabi-” When Ezio directed the telescope at the cabin, he stopped and narrowed his eyes. “Uh. Whoa.”

“Y’alright?” Edward asked, walking towards him, Ezio turned to Edward with a worried look on his face.“I just saw someone at the cabin.” Edward raised an eyebrow, before leaning in towards the telescope.

“Okayyy? Let me see.” Edward looked towards the cabin, a small hum escaping his lips. There was a light coming out through a window, making him deeply concerned. But, before he could pull back, a sudden figure appeared in the telescope, scaring him only a little bit. He then played it off, looking at the cabin. Edward then looked in the telescope again, looking around the cabin. This time, nothing was there, and Edward leaned back. He gave Ezio a disbelieving look. “Samplin’ the ol’ egg nog again, babe?” He asked, shaking his head. “It’s just us up here.”

“Ah, maybe.” Ezio shrugged. Edward gestured towards the fence, letting them both continue their adventure through Blackwood Pines. He lifted the lock and pushed the cold gate open. He let Ezio through first, who nodded at him with a smile on his scarred lips. Edward then closed the gate, making sure the lock was secured in place, following Ezio down the wooden stairs. Even then, they didn’t talk about anything, content with just following the path to the cabin. Ezio’s music was soft compared to the soft winds and snow falling. Edward trailed behind the brunette with a small smile on his face. Then, a bird suddenly flew towards him, scaring him violently. 

“EEK!” He screeched, shooing it away with flailing arms. He could hear Ezio laughing as the bird flew away, panting heavily from his spot. He was really scared.

“Watch out, bird-brain!” Ezio laughed, stepping towards the panting Edward.

  * **Annoyed  
** “Rats with wings…”
  * **Witty  
** “I was jus’… flirting.”



“I was jus’… jus’ answering its mating call.” He spread his arms out, lowering his eyebrows as he regained his breathing. 

“Wow, you’re easy.” Ezio bit his lip, looking up at Edward.

“Yeah. Got a lotta love ta give.” Edward nodded, Ezio rolled his eyes, walking away from the shivering blonde. “I was scared.” He muttered, following the brunette. They walked over the wooden bridge, the cold river flowing underneath them. Edward guessed Ezo was ignoring him, to which he sighed and walked at a rapid pace once again. The wind blew more now, threatening to lift them off their feet and into the skies. Edward kept himself grounded from such thoughts, upon arriving at a huge tree blocking the path. “Goddammit Jacob, couldn’t you have at least cleared out the path before sending us up here?” Ezio turned to Edward, a teasing smile on his face.

“Really?” He grinned.

“What?”

“I didn’t figure you for the glass half empty type.” Edward huffed, stepping forward and gesturing towards the tree.

“Ya got a better idea?” He shook his head, watching Ezio as he turned his back towards him and looked at the tree.

“Stand back, Debbie Downer.” Ezio ran towards the tree, scaling the snow covered blockage. Once he was on top of it, Edward cupped his hands around his mouth.

“Oh, booooo! Show off!” He teased, looking to the side. Ezio then gathered a snowball in his hands, putting it behind his back as Edward looked at him once again.

“Hey Ed. You got something on your face.” Edward then started to rub his face, before being hit with a snowball. “Boom!” Edward groaned with a laugh, nodding his head.

“Okay, okay.” He bent down and gathered a snowball. “Well. If that’s how it’s gonna be.” As he turned back around to throw the snowball at Ezio, he stopped - Ezio was no where to be found. His stomach fluttered with nervousness. “Ezio?” He asked, before hearing a high-pitched scream that sounded a lot like Ezio. “Ezio!” He exclaimed, before it all went silent.

* * *

“Hey Claudie!” Jacob called form the bottom of the stairs, making Claudia turn the faucets off.

“Whaaaat?” Claudia called back, kneeling at the edge of the large tub. 

“You wanna help me get this fire going?” Claudia pursed her lips, looking out the door. 

“Um - well, I was just getting into the bath-” She informed him, standing up. 

“Oh.” There was a pause. “Well, do you need any help with that?” Claudia chuckled softly, shaking her head as she turned towards the bath once again.

“Hardy har!” She teased. 

##  **22:44, Frye Lodge, Claudia**  

Claudia twisted the faucet for the hot water, seeing nothing come out. With a huff, she twisted the other one, putting her hand in the water to see it was freezing cold. “Oh, come on.” She whined, turning the faucet off. Claudia sighed heavily, wiping her hands on a towel. “Alright, Jacob. Let’s see if you know how to hook up the hot water in your big, fancy lodge.” She stood, smoothing out her red skirt and looking around the bathroom. With a small huff, she walked out the bathroom and to the darkened hallway. _Whirrrl!_ “Woah…” Claudia looked around, the sound heightened her senses, making her more aware. The sudden sound scared her. “What was that?” She asked herself, shivers raking down her body. Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, she pressed forward, coming across a door that was wide open. She then gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. “Evie’s room… this is all her stuff.” She whispered, stomach fluttering with the loss of her best friend. Her eyes caught a small piece of paper next to a pen first. With a shudder, she picked the paper up.  _Johan D. Smith._ _Tattoo Artist._ She turned the paper over, trying her best to not let tears come to her eyes. There was a drawing of a butterfly on it, along with a date. _March 18th, 2013. 9:30am. ‘This was the date she got her tattoo.’_ Claudia thought with a sad frown, putting the paper down in its respective place. She then turned towards Evie’s neat bed, her thoughts going back to old memories of what they used to have. _The prank._ It sent her mind into overdrive. It was all because of a stupid prank, something she tried to stop… but she wasn’t quick enough. With a sad sigh, she walked over to her dresser. There was a brown, wooden box in front of the mirror. It looked like someone painted it themselves. There were golden hearts at the corners with a heart in the center of the lid, _EF_ , were the initials in the heart. Claudia sniffed, opening the box to hear a little tune from from it. A ballerina popped up and danced in circles, she wore a black dress and shoes, she looked just like Evie. _Happy Christmas, 2010, Sis. Love, Jacob._ “Hmmm.” She pursed her lips, closing the music box. “Jacob was never really the one to buy stuff, but, he really cared about Evie, especially now that she’s gone.” Claudia took a shuddering breath, her legs carrying her back outside the room. She didn’t have the courage to check the rest of her things, not wanting to intrude when Evie could be out there still. She walked past the bathroom, and to the double doors which led to the foyer. The doors opened with a loud creak, the voices from downstairs more clearer now.

“Come on…” Jacob grunted with effort.

“How long do you think it’ll take him?” Arno asked, referring to Jacob trying to light the fire. Claudia then walked to the foyer, heading towards the stairs.

“My money’s on blankets for everyone!” Élise muttered. Jacob chuckled, before standing up and walking to them.

“Alright, peanut gallery, you know what? I got an idea for you two.” He proposed, standing in front of the two.

“Oui?” Élise asked, crossing her arms.

“Okay, well, I am pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have… a spirit board.” 

“A what?”

“Those things are a joke, man. Ils ne font pas merde (They don’t do shit).” Arno rolled his eyes, waving his hand to dismiss the idea. 

“No way bro. We used to do it all the time. Me and…” Jacob trailed off, looking to the side. “…well…”

“Hey Jacob. No hot water’s kinda major oversight, non credi (don’t you think)?” Claudia put on a teasing smile to the Brit, who grinned in response.

“Yeah yeah, just gotta fire up the boiler. It’s in the basement.” He nodded, pointing to the staircase. He then looked over to the two nerds in love. “Alright, you guys see if you can find the spirit board.” Élise looked over to Arno with a smile.

“Arno, let’s go find it! It’ll be like a scavenger hunt!” She said excitedly, walking out the main room, expecting the brunette to follow her. 

“Umm… okay… guess so.” Arno sighed, following the red head with a shake of his head. 

“Awesome. You’re not gonna regret it.” Jacob patted Arno on the back as he passed them. When they were both out of sight, he turned to Claudia as he began walking towards the staircase. “You up for a ride-along?” He teased, making the Italian girl purse her lips. She followed Jacob at a rapid pace, wanting her hot bath more than anything, going down into a creepy basement was the least of her problems. Going down the wooden stairs, she rubbed her arms to heat them up. It was only a little cold, but not colder than outside. Jacob stepped towards the drawers in front of them, opening up to fish out a flashlight. “Hey, you notice how I gave Arno and Éli a mission together? Yeah, I was thinkin’ they could use some _‘alone time’_.” He grinned, tilting his head to the side. Claudia hummed, looking off to the side.

  * **Mocking  
** “Arno needs to go for it!”
  * **Flattering  
** “They are sweet together.”



Claudia nodded. “They are very sweet together. I wish they’d just get on with it already.” Jacob nodded, casting his hazel eyes to the ground as he thought about his next choice of words.

“I swear, they just need like… something to bond over, y’know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other’s arms. I mean at this rate, they’ll be in a geriatric ward before Arno makes a move.” He walked passed Claudia, turning on the flashlight to see where he was going. Claudia laughed in response, following after the grinning teen. Jacob unlocked the wooden door and opened it, waiting for her at the door. Claudia smiled at Jacob, holding the door open for her, he’s a real gentleman. “You know, Claudia.” He started.

“Yes Jacob?” She asked.

“I just wanted to say…” He sucked his teeth, looking in front of him. He was nervous, Claudia noticed, he never really had a way with heartwarming words.

“What…?” Jacob stopped at the door to the basement, turning towards the awaiting female.

“It really means a lot to me that everyone came back this year and you know, that, you came, Claudia.”

  * **Uneasy  
** “It’s weird to be back.”
  * **Reassuring  
** “We’re here for you.”



“Jacob. We’re here for you, really, whatever you need, whenever, we’re all going to make it through this…” She smiled at the Brit, who looked at the ground with a longing look. “…together.”

“Um… I want us to have a good time, you know…” He walked to the basement door and opened it, gesturing for Claudia to follow him. “Hey, watch your step.” He advised Claudia, referring to the stair that was severely chipped and waiting for someone to trip over it. 

“I think I can handle an old set of stairs.”

“Uh-huh.” Jacob teased, making the pair quiet as they walked down the concrete stairs. Turning the corner, wooden shelves were to Claudia’s right, stone, brick walls to her left. She let out a faint sigh as she lost sight of Jacob. Hearing him open two metal doors, she turned the corner and found him looking into the controls. As he bent down to inspect it, he spoke. “Sorry to drag you down into the bowels.” He called.

“Ugh, just get me some hot water and I’ll be super-fine.” Jacob scoffed, flickering his eyes over to her for a second before looking back at the different wires and buttons.

“I mean, I wouldn’t want you coming down here on your own, you know?” Claudia looked around the dark basement, curling and uncurling her fists as a shiver raked down her spine.

“Well, it’s definitely creepy down here.” She commented, watching Jacob as he walked towards another set of controls.

“Yep.” He popped the ‘p’. “Not a place to be on your own.” As he checked the panel, Claudia decided to look around. There was nothing here except for old stuff the Frye’s didn’t need anymore. But, beside the control panel, she found a baseball bat - a wooden one. She picked it up with careful hands, holding it out in front of her. 

  * **Serious  
** “Is it yours?”
  * **Humorous  
** “Baseball in the snow?”



She stepped lightly towards the working twin, inspecting the baseball bat. “What’s that doing here?” Jacob looked over to her. “Is that yours?” He smiled, grasping the bat with a chuckle.

“You bet it’s mine. I used to play ball with my Dad all the time.” He nodded sadly, walking away from the curious girl. “Of course, that was before he got too busy to hang out with me… oh well, save it for the couch, right?” He leaned the bat against a cupboard, walking back towards the control panel. “Okay, lemme see what I can do with this old hot water machine.” He nodded at her, raising his scarred eyebrow. After pressing a few buttons, he walked over to where Claudia found the baseball bat. “Here, can you… can you hold this?” He asked, handing the flashlight out to her. Once she had it in her grasp, they were both alerted to the sound of items falling over.

“What was that?”

“What was what?” Jacob asked after her. “Just shine it here so I can see what I’m doing.” He sighed, bending down to connect wires to the panel. _Don’t. Move._  She thought to herself. When Claudia heard more footsteps, she turned away, looking around with a concerned expression. “Hey… can you just keep the light so I can see, okay?” Jacob pursed his lips, trying to concentrate. 

“Mi dispiace.” Claudia sighed, shining the flashlight back on the different assortment of wires. Jacob then worked faster, knowing all she wants is her relaxation. After a moment of standing still, they both heard the sound of something stirring above them.

“Nice one.” Jacob said with a lose smile. “Okay, first things first: we gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up.” Claudia whined, walking towards the control panel.

“Sounds pretty complicated.” 

“No, it’s actually pretty simple.” Jacob shook his head, letting her stay there while he went to the cupboard. Claudia shone the flashlight on the panel, looking towards the ‘off’ and ‘on’ switch. Then the button with the fire symbol on it. Holding the switch, she turned it to the side. The boiler started to fire up, the pressure rising at a steady pace. The light above the button shone red, but she pressed it too late. 

“Merda (Damn)!” She cursed, looking over to Jacob who waved a hand at her.

“It’s okay, just try again.” He offered her a small smile, turning back to the panel. Claudia raised her hand to the switch and turned it on again. As the pressure started to rise, she waited for the red light to turn on. When it did, she pressed it, and the light shone green next. 

“Whoa!” She exclaimed, hearing the boiler fire up, just as Jacob said.

“That’s more like it! Alright!” Jacob raised his hand for a high five, to which Claudia happily accepted. He then went back to the panel, closing the doors and locking them. Then, the eerie sound of a door opening caught their attention, Claudia gulped thickly. 

“What the hell is that…?” She whispered, stepping forward. Jacob shrugged and smirked.

“Could be a lot of things… and none of them nice…” He walked his fingers up her arm, making her rolled her eyes with a small glare.

“Hey, quit it.” She groaned.

“Hey, I’m just… ‘Joshing’ ya, love.” He joked, a small chuckle leaving his lips, but Claudia wasn’t laughing. 

“Har har.” Jacob shook his head, putting his hands on his hands.

“No, you were definitely freaked out.” He laughed.

  * **Protest  
** “I wasn’t scared.”
  * **Prank  
** “Something behind you…”



“Pffft.” Claudia rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t scared.” She gently pushed him on the shoulder.

“No, no, you jumped because you wanted to squeeze in some aerobics?” Jacob raised an eyebrow, tilting his head to the left. 

  * **Accuse  
** ”You were freaked out too!”
  * **Protest  
** “I wasn’t scared!”



“Don’t be an a-hole, okay?” Claudia rolled her eyes, making Jacob smile and start to laugh. “I totally didn’t jump! All I said was  _‘what was that’_ which is a totally normal reaction to hearing a super creepy noise in a super creepy basement.” Jacob rubbed his nose, letting a small laugh escape him as Claudia took a deep breath. Then, the creaking appeared once again, this time closer than before, making the pair look towards the back rooms.

“Okay, so you hear that too right?” Claudia whispered. Jacob’s face turned cold, slowly walking towards the noise. “Jacob…?” She said, this time more louder.

“What?” He asked, eyebrows lowering in a confused stare. The sound appeared again, like footsteps.

“The rhythm’s like, weirdly regular…” She trailed off, making Jacob shake his head.

“Not… no… nothing _regular_ about it…” He muttered, looking around the basement carefully.

  * **Concerned  
** “We should check it out.”
  * **Heroic  
** “I’ll check it out.”



“Maybe we should, you know, check it out?” She followed him as he walked towards the noise.

“Why?” Jacob asked with some fright in his voice.

“I dunno, what if it’s like, a pipe that’s about to burst or some problem with the furnace?” Claudia extended her hand so it wrapped around the crook of his elbow, trailing behind him as he crept closer. 

“Unlikely.” He stated blankly.

“If it were me, I wouldn’t want this place to burn down on my watch.” She bit her lips.

“…yeah. Right.” He shook his head, walking more faster towards the noise. As it got closer, she walked in front of him, holding the flashlight out. Then, a figure suddenly popped out at the both of them, raising his arms in a terrifying way. They both screamed, starting to run from the cloaked figure. “WOAH!!” Jacob shouted.

“WHAT THE HELL–!” Claudia shouted after him, throwing the beams of wood down to block his path. The figure grunted with effort, nearly tripping over it. The pair got to the stairs, taking two at a time to flee faster. They then got to the wooden door, which appeared to be locked. She banged her shoulder against the door, trying to force it open before they get killed. “Oh, COME ON, why are all these doors locked!” She shouted at Jacob, who extended out an arm to shield her as the figure got closer.

“To keep out strangers!” Jacob bit his lip, his stomach fluttering with fright. But, the figure stopped in front of them, his arms above his head as he gave out a low moan.

“Heyyyy…” He swung his arms around.

“What?” Claudia panted heavily.

“Heyyyyy…” The figure swung his arms once again.

“What the hell?” Claudia started to recognize the voice.

“Boom!” The figure pulled back his hood, revealing himself to be Arno, a wide grin on his face. “You just got monked!” He pointed a finger towards the two, raising his fists in triumph. 

“WHAT!” Claudia exclaimed, turning to Jacob when he started to laugh. 

“Nice.” He wiped his nose. “Nice one. That was good.” Claudia stuttered on her words, glaring down at the grinning brunette.

“Why w…. Why would you do that?” Arno scoffed, looking behind him.

“There was all this old movie crap down there, what was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?” He asked.

“Are you serious?” She turned to Jacob. “Were you in on this, you putz!” She pushed his shoulder. Jacob shook his head with a grin.

“Nope. But I wish I was! That was too good!” He high fived Arno, who looked too proud of himself. Arno then opened the door, leading the two out of the basement.

“I’m ready to admit that your dumb little prank may have had a slight whiff of humor to it.” She smiled.

“Jokemaster!” Arno cheered. 

“I said nothing about jokes. I said your prank, which was dumb-” Jacob wiped his eyes, turning the flashlight off and setting it on the drawer.

“Holy crap you were scared. Admit it.” He teased.

“I was not!” Claudia shouted.

“Come on, you totally pissed yourself!” Jacob laughed, running up the stairs to catch up with his friends.

“Jacob!” She yelled in a warning tone as they walking into the main room. Élise was there, looking for the spirit board when the three walked to her. She looked towards Arno, lowering an eyebrow as she walked towards him.

“What… in god’s name… are you wearing?” She asked, gesturing towards his robes. Arno raised his hand towards her forehead, then down to her stomach, then to her right and left shoulder.

“I… found my true calling.” He clasped his hands together, nodding at the red head. Élise hummed.

“Please tell me you’re going to take a vow of silence.” She clasped her hands together as well. Arno then started moving his mouth as if he were talking, making Élise giggle at his humor. “Okay okay… did you at least find the thingy?” Arno then reached into his robes and took the box out, labeled ‘Ouija Board’.

“Boi-oi-oi-oing!” He walked around her. “Here’s our one way ticket to the spirit realm.” He stepped towards Jacob who was warming his hands up by the fire.

“You know what? You know what? No!” Claudia raised a hand, walking towards the staircase. “I’ve just been thought enough spooking for one night, okay? I see a hot bath in my crystal ball. Alright? So, have fun…!” She stopped, turning towards the laughing three. “Oh, but watch out for that Jacob. He’s a schemer!”

* * *

## Third Session

Opening the door to Dr. Kenway’s office, I was once again greeted with a darkened room, except this time, my hands started to shake earlier than usual. It was more decrepit than it was before - the walls started to decay, rusty chains with hooks on the ends hung around the room, the curtains were ripped on the right side of the window. My breath hitched as I walked inside, closing the door softly. Taking another look at the window where Dr. Kenway stood, I bit the inside on my cheek to take my mind off the tension in my muscles. The window was boarded up with several planks of wood, but moonlight still seeped in from the window. I took my seat in the comfy chair, looking up towards the Doctor as he looked out the window.  But, I was quickly alerted by the sounds of glass clinking. Turning my attention away from the concentrated man, I jolted in my seat as I was met with a jar with a large spider in it. It tapped on the glass, trying to look for a way out. My orbs flicked over to a plank next - I’m going to be sick. There was a brown squirrel nailed down to it, obviously dead, but… why? My eyes slowly grew wide - _did he do this on purpose to scare me?_ As my mind started to ask questions upon questions, the lamp beside Dr. Kenway turned on, reminding me of his presence. My heart was beating at a rapid pace, I could hear it, and I was sure he could as well. A loose smile stretched across his face, shaking his head as his steel gray orbs bored into my own. “I would like to understand your feelings towards people who _fear_   failure and worry about what others think of them.” He sat down on his comfy red chair, crossing one leg over the other and entwining his hands on his lap. He shifted to get comfortable, but, I doubt he’s uncomfortable. He then leaned in closer, placing his hands on the wooden desk. “Do you share this fear?” He asked, tilting his head to the side. 

  * **Yes, I Do**
  * **No, I Don’t**



“Nope.” Shaking my head, I took a deep breath and looked at the man in the eyes. His mouth fell agape, if he wanted to say something, but closed it. He picked up his charts once again, pen in hand. “Then, how do you feel about people who are, afraid?” Biting my lip, I cast my eyes down to the floor.

  * **I Feel Sympathy  
**
  * **I Despise Them**



“I feel, sympathy.” I nodded my head, scratching my cheek with shaking fingers. 

“I see.” He stated simply, gliding his pen across the papers, hopefully writing down my answers. “Well, Arno has a fear of failure. Do you feel pity for him?” Leaning back in my chair, my eyes darted over to the spider, before looking down at my entwined hands. 

  * **Yes, I Do  
**
  * **No, I Don’t**



Nodding my head, I looked up at him with a slight frown. “Of course I do.” I said with confidence, before he looked over to me. Another loose smile came to his face, bringing his leg down to the ground as he leaned in closer. 

“Well, this is not reflected in the way you’re playing your _game_ , now is it?” I was at a lost for words, slowly closing my eyes as I leaned against the chair. Before I could defend my judgement, he stood up from the chair with the chart, walking towards the different drawers in the back. Darkness covered him like a blanket, the moonlight and the light from the lamp only illuminated little. He stayed there for a bit, almost making me think the session was over. With a suck of the teeth, he quickly walked back to the desk, closing the charts and throwing them on the desk. He leaned his weight on the desk, incredibly close as he spoke once again. “And now… Let us investigate your feelings towards other people in greater depth.” Lowering an eyebrow, I tilted my head to the side, confused by his statement. “What you value, what you respect in yourself and others.” He then plopped himself back into the chair - the charts lay in front of him, but he never picked them back up. “Which would you say is more important in a person, loyalty… or honesty?” Pursing my lips together, I popped them and looked around the decaying room.

  * **I Value Loyalty**
  * **I Value Honestly**



“Loyalty.” I stated, slowly bringing my eyes to his once more. He let out a quiet chuckle, looking up towards the ceiling.

“So… you would lie in order to be loyal to a friend. Okay.” He nodded, turning to the side. “And what about loyalty versus… charity?” 

  * **I Value Loyalty**
  * **I Value Charity**



“Loyalty, Doctor.” I looked up at him, eyebrows lowering as he let out another chuckle, this time - louder. 

“So, you would sooner look after your friends before caring for those in greater need?” Raising an eyebrow, I let out a confused hum. 

“Wh-” A bell rang, making Dr. Kenway turn towards the clock.

“Ah, I’m afraid we’re out of time, we’ll talk again soon.” He stood up before I could protest, walking towards the window while humming a soft tune. With a snarl on my face, I shook my head and looked down at the ground. ‘ _What is his game? Is this even a therapy session anymore?’_ With an angry grunt, I stood up and walked towards the door. Dr. Kenway paid no mind to me, staring out the boarded window with a small smile on his menacing face. I tsk’d, opening the door and stepping out. ‘ _He probably isn’t even trying to help me, now, he’s trying to question my sanity. Is he?’_ Raising an eyebrow, I walked out the building and to the darkened streets. Perhaps he’ll have a change of mind when I come back next week. 


	4. Haunted

##  **Haunted, Eight Hours Until Dawn**

Candles illuminated the darkened room, one near the stairs, another near the curtained window, and the third one next to the seated Élise. The younger Frye twin stepped lightly towards the third candle, lighting a match and holding it on the tiny black stick. Once it lit on fire, Jacob shook the match out and walked to his seat. “…’ _to communicate with the spirit world you must free your mind of all preconceptions_ …” Arno read. “… _drop all inhibitions and generally give yourself over entirely to the will of others, sublimating your every desire to the whims of the Spirit-master,’_ which is me–” Arno gestured to himself, while Élise rolled her eyes and entwined her hands on her lap. 

“It doesn’t say that–” Arno interrupted her as he went back to ‘reading’ the book. 

“… _’and all present will remove their garments at my sole discretion’_ -” Jacob smiled softly, looking across the table to his best friend.

“Arno, come on, this is serious.” Arno then gave a teasing smile and put his hands on his hips, he lowered his voice to a deep one and chuckled loudly.

“Oh I’m _deadly_ serious.” He chuckled, before they both turned to the laughing Élise.

“Oh, hush it, let’s try this.” Jacob nodded.

“Yes please.” At his words, they all put their hands on the board.

“Bon alors (Okay then), let’s see what happens.” Arno shrugged, pushing his chair in. “Élise, since you’re a recent convert, why don’t you be our medium for today?”

## 23:00, Frye Lodge Library, Élise

  * **Serious  
** “Is anyone there?”
  * **Flippant  
** “Um… abracadabra?”



“Ok. Um… Anyone there…?” Élise asked, looking around. “Will you reveal yourself to us… if you’re there…?” She heaved a shaky sigh, looking down at the board. Each friend put their pointer finger on the pointer. Then, the pointer started to move. The friend’s eyes went wide, each keeping their eyes on the board.

“Wait a minute–” Arno laughed softly.

“Did you do that…?” Jacob asked them, to which Élise shook her head frantically.

“I didn’t do anything!” She whispered in fright, the pointer moved again, obviously sparking Arno’s entertainment.

“It’s moving again!” The pointer quickly slid to the ‘H’.

“’H’…” Élise pursed her lips.

“What’s it spelling?” Jacob asked, raising an eyebrow as it moved some more.

“Hold on.” Élise concentrated on what letters the pointer went to.

“How’s this happening?” Jacob doesn’t really believe in ghosts, but unless it was either Arno or Élise moving it, he’s having second thoughts.

“Are you moving it…?” Arno bit his lip, looking between the two friends.

“I swear it’s just moving.” The pointer than stopped at the ‘P’, making the friends tense in fright.

“Holy shite.” Jacob whispered, while Élise took a deep breath.

“ _’Help’_?” She flinched.

“…How are we supposed to help?” Arno tilted his head.

“I don’t know. What does it mean?” The redhead looked at the board with uncertainty, wondering if they should stop.

“We need to know who it is if we’re supposed to help them.” Arno suggested.

  * **Clarify  
** “Who needs help?”
  * **Probe  
** “How we can help?”



Élise looked up at the ceiling, as if the _spirit_ was there. “How can we  _‘help’_ you…?” She asked, before the pointer moved again, this time closer to Jacob.

“It’s moving again.” Arno grinned when the pointer slid towards him.

“Whoa.” Jacob whispered in astonishment. 

“What’s it spelling?”

“War…?” Arno started.

“It’s moving fast.” Élise commented. The pointer then stopped at the ‘G’, making the three friends look at each other. “ _’Warning?’_ ” 

“Shite.” Jacob felt his heart beating faster, he was starting to breathe slightly heavily.

“Oh mon dieu…” Élise pursed her lips. “’ _Warning?’_ ” 

“I think… we… really need to find out who’s trying to communicate with us.”

  * **Probe  
** “Who are you?”
  * **Clarify  
** “What do you mean?”



“Who are you?” She asked, more firmly this time.

“Uh…” Jacob gulped thickly as the pointer moved again.

“Ohh here it goes-”

“Okay. F.”

“A.”

“M.”

“I.”

“L.”

“Y.”

“Family.” Élise looked at Jacob, knowing full well which family it was talking about. Jacob breathed heavily, starting to panic as his eyes darted between the board and Élise.

“Which family?” He asked, then Arno scoffed lightly and grinned.

“Oh, come on, is this for real?” He asked, before Jacob glared at him softly.

“Shut up. Ask it whose family.” Jacob ordered unintentionally , before looking to the redhead with a soft look.

“Jacob… it’s… it’s gotta be…” She started, before the Brit looked at the board.

“Yeah? Ok. Well.” He licked his lips. “Which member is it then?” He leaned forward, ready to find out who was trying to communicate with them.

“Élise. Ask who it is.” Arno nodded, knowing full well Jacob would take matters into his own hands to find out.

  * **Evie**  
“…Is that you?”
  * **Henry**  
“…Is that you?”



Élise gulped thickly, slowly looking up to the ceiling. “Who are we speaking to…?” Élise paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself before she made her decision. “Evie…?” Jacob tensed. “Is that you?” The moment she finished, the pointer slid to the left, soon stopping on ‘ _Yes_ ’. “Oh dieu.” Arno shook his head with a blank expression, while Jacob raised his eyebrows in a surprised look. Ever since Henry and Evie went missing, his older twin was a very sensitive topic, now… he knows she’s trying to talk to them.

“This is messed up.” Arno muttered.

“Jacob… are you-”

“I’m fine.” Jacob stated with a blank face.

“Are you sure, because we can stop-”

“No.” He shook his head.

“Jacob, it’s fine-” Arno started.

“I want to hear what it says.” Jacob breathed, looking up at the scared friends.

“I don’t know where to start…” Élise shook her head, Arno then leaned in closer.

“Think about it. If this is actually Evie, we can find out what happened that night…” Arno said, referring to when he and Jacob were drunk, they weren’t apart of the prank. 

“Jacob?” Élise looked at him, concerned for him.

“…I can handle it.” He nodded, biting his lip to keep himself grounded.

“Oh… kay. Let me think.” She closed her eyes.

  * **Probe  
** “What happened to you?”
  * **Apologize  
** “We’re so sorry.”



“Evie. If you can hear this… really hear this…” She looked up once again, knowing full well they were listening to what she was saying. “…we all want to apologize for what happened…” She trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

“It was stupid and mean and we’re sorry…” Arno nodded, looking down in shame, knowing he was too drunk to stop the prank.

“We’re so sorry, Evie…” Jacob pursed his lips at their words, nodding with Arno. He understood the look on Arno’s face, for he too was drunk and couldn’t do anything. Then, the pointer moved.

“B.”

“E.”

“T.”

“R.”

“A.”

“Y.”

“E.”

“D.”

“Uh oh. ‘ _ **Betrayed?**_ -’”

“I don’t like this.”

“What does she mean-” Jacob started, before the pointer moved once again.

“It’s still going!” Arno gasped.

“Oh dieu– K–I– L– L– E–D– No!” She shook her head, close to tears.

“Killed?” Jacob asked, looking over to Élise with a confused look.

“We didn’t **kill** them! It was just a **prank**!” Élise cried, looking over to Arno as he smiled softly at her.

“Éli, calm down okay? Just– we need to find out more!” He nodded, making her put a hand on her forehead and curl in on herself.

“Je suis désolé, je suis tellement désolé!” She put a hand on her mouth, before Jacob spoke up.

“Guys, guys… what do they mean?” He asked, fingers shaking with anticipation.

“Ask them what happened. It’s the only way to know! Ask them, Éli!” Arno nodded, looking back to the board.

  * **Probe  
** “Who killed you?”
  * **Clarify  
** “How did you die?”



“Okay. Okay. How did you die?” She asked, looking around, as did Arno and Jacob. “Evie, what happened to you?” The pointer then moved again. “L–I–B–”

“’ _Library_!’ Maybe there’s something in the library here-” A sudden figure appeared just out of the friends’ sight. It looked slightly feminine, with long and luscious brown hair cascaded down her shoulder. She was pale and wore a white dress, she was looking down intimidatingly. The three friends were too concentrated in the Ouija Board to notice her, trying to figure out what Evie was trying to say.

“P– R–O– O–”

“’Proof,” there’s, there’s… there’s proof.” Arno nodded hopefully, now knowing where they should start.

“In the library?” Élise asked, confused. When the pointer moved to go to another letter, the board suddenly shook and flew off the table. 

“Watch out!” Jacob shouted, fearing one of them would get hit. Élise stood up in fright, her mouth agape at what had just occurred.

“ **Whoa**!” Arno breathed, leaning back in his chair as the redhead put her hands in her hair and tried to calm her breathing. 

“Holy shit. Arno.” Élise looked at him, ready to accuse him when Jacob stood up slowly, shaking his head with a glare on his face.

“You know what? No, this is bullshit. This isn’t real–” He started in a deepened voice to show his anger and disbelief. 

“Jacob– I don’t know what’s going on…” Élise breathed, sitting back down. But, Jacob shook his head once again and looked at the both of them.

“Listen, I don’t know…” He looked down, slowly lowering his tense hands to his sides. “… I don’t know if you think messing with me is somehow going to help me deal with my grief or whatever, but this is not cool.” He growled, starting to walk away angrily.

“Jacob no! **_You wanted_** to use the spirit board–” Élise panicked, immediately feeling regret at Jacob’s words.

“Hey calm down, it’s not Élise’s fault!” Arno turned towards Jacob as he walked away.

“I don’t need this right now, okay?!” Jacob shouted, pointing at them. “You guys are full of it!” He stomped down the stairs, feeling pure and utter betrayal from the event. Élise then turned towards the sighing Arno.

“Sh-Should we go after him?” She heaved a sigh. Arno shrugged, before shaking his head.

“He’ll be okay. Let’s… let’s just give him some time.” He nodded.

“I don’t blame him… that was crazy… the pointer flew right off the table!” She looked towards said object, before looked at the board with uncertainty.

“I mean if- if you were faking it you were doing one hell of a job-” He started to laugh, before Élise glared at the brunette.

“I wasn’t faking anything…!” She protested. “… I think we should so what it says. We should look in the library.” Élise suggested, Arno nodded with her, the plan working just fine with him.

* * *

## 23:22, Path to the Cabin, Edward

Edward stepped towards the fallen tree, both eyebrows raised in confusion. “Ezio?” Said man’s scream suddenly pierced through the air, making Edward jump and take another step towards the tree. “Ezio!” He then grasped the edge of the tree and climb it, when he slipped, he let out a huff and soon stood upon it. He brushed himself off, surveying the new area with his flashlight, once he was sure there was no threat, he jumped down, walking forward once he gained his footing. The wind blew more fiercely now, making him raise his free hand up to shield his eyes from the onslaught. “Ezio?” He called, walking forward to where he guessed Ezio disappeared. “Babe?” He came across a run down pickup truck, jogging towards it. “Light of my life?” He chuckled at his nickname, shining the flashlight in the window. “Buddy? You in there?” He extended his arm towards the handle, and pulled it, figuring out it wouldn’t budge. Then, he heard a tick from inside. Once he looked inside, a sudden object flew at the window, scaring the daylights out of Edward. He stepped back to avoid getting ‘hurt’, a hand running through his hair. Edward took deep breaths, leaning forwards then standing straight again. “Jaysus!” He breathed. “That scared the blue outta my jeans.” He looked around, raising an eyebrow as he calmed down. “The hells that doing in there anyway?” Finding another path to his left, he started walking down it. “Ezio?” He called once again, shivering as the cold hit him full force. A small, wooden object caught his attention next. With a hum, he kneeled down and picked it up.

_The deer roared at the pair, backing them up towards the cliff where they feared the creatures would push them over the edge._

The butterfly was outlined in red, signaling Danger for whomever the deer was targeting. Edward pursed his lips, putting the totem back in its rightful place, before standing back up. “Seriously? This is not funny.” He called out, walking passed the truck, he put his free hand in his pocket, shining the flashlight on the snow covered ground to try and search for the missing Ezio. If there was a real threat, they couldn’t have gotten far. “I promise I won’t murder you when I find you.” He joked, letting out a chuckle, but quickly choked on it when antlers appeared in his vision. “AHHH!” He screeched, jumping back when it got too close. “OH my god!” He then heard laughing from in front of him, making him look towards the source. He found the laughing Ezio, clapping his hands and stepping back from the man.

“Haha! Molto bene!” He laughed, walking towards his phone that was wedged in between a two rocks.

“Not… no!” Edward protested, looking off to the side and he took big, heaving breaths.

“Wait wait wai, you have to see this… you have-” Ezio broke out into another fit of laughs as he saved the recording and rewatched it with the protesting Edward.

“I’m not seeing anyth– no! No!” He looked at the phone, then glaring at it as Ezio grinned in absolute joy. “You recorded that?” He raised an eyebrow, spreading his arms out in disbelief. The recording got to the part where Ezio had scared Edward.

“Look at your face!” Ezio put a hand on his shoulder, wiping tears from his eyes as he stepped backwards.

“I was scared, Ezio! You can’t just jump out at somebody! I’m in the middle of the woods, it’s scary!” Edward scolded, gesturing to the land around him as his face grew flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment. 

“Mi dispiace. Did I scare you?” Ezio fake pouted, tilting his head to the side.

“I-If you send that to anybody…” Edward warning, looking at the Italian’s phone once again.

“You’ll what?” 

“I’m… gonna… kill ya.” Edward shook his head, halting in his movements when Ezio grinned and looked up at Edward.

“I didn’t know you had such a cute little lady-like scream, Edward Kenway.” He teased, putting his hands on his hips. “Guess you never really know someone until you’ve scared the pants off ‘em!”

  * **Grumpy  
** “Fine. You win.”
  * **Witty  
** “Gotta try harder, Ezio.”



“Alright fine. You win.” Edward pursed his lips, Ezio then puckered his lips and hummed.

“It’s not a contest!” He sighed, then grinned evilly. “But, I do win. Every time.”

“Uh huh.” Edward confirmed with a small smile. “Whatever you say, babe.” The two couldn’t see it, but something watched them from the bushes. The mysterious creature’s vision was a deep red, but the pair was engulfed in a light blue as they walked. It moved silently, like a predator watching their prey. From the bushes, to behind a tree, then under a tilted tree.

“Keep on crying, Romeo.” Ezio chuckled, walking ahead of Edward. The creature continued watching them, until they reached the bridge that was built over a river and near a waterfall. Edward then noticed another totem, kneeling down to pick it up with ease. With a sigh, he turned it over ready to face whatever vision he’ll be gifted with.

_With a grunt, Claudia and Edward heaved themselves up onto the hard surface, shaking the cold water off their wet clothes. The water well span carefully, the water falling from above went into the well, and soon joined the cold water they both just trudged through._

The butterfly was outlined in yellow, making Edward nod slowly as he set it down. 

* * *

A sudden scream pierced through the air, making Edward and Ezio stop their walking. “Did you hear that?” Edward asked, turning to look at Ezio as he walked up the stairs.

“Was it someone screaming?” He asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked around.

“Naw, no, probably just a squirrel or… something.” The blonde muttered, his boots crunching the snow underneath as he walked along the path. Still, he wished the Frye’s hadn’t made their cabin this far away, it would seem like they were walking for hours. Edward then heard a snap of a twig, and he stopped, shushing Ezio gently. “Shh…!” He listened closely, turning his head over to where he heard the sound.

“…What?” Ezio whispered, stopping in front of him to listen as well.

“Did you hear that?” The Italian shook his head, prompting Edward to cup a hand around his mouth and shout. “Hello?” He called, standing on his toes to search for any beings that’s treading through the thick woods. “Someone there?” After a few moments of silence, Edward bent down and picked up a thick rock, looking to a tree to see if someone was behind it. Choosing that as his target, he threw the rock at the tree, missing and hitting a couple of bushes. Loud footsteps could be heard, along with huffs from a panting animal. A grown deer suddenly jumped out of the bushes and ran passed the two, making them jump out of the way and fall. “WOAH! ARGH!!” Edward shouted, eyes wide in surprise. He scrambled to stand up, looking to where the deer darted off. “Goddammit!” He slowly stepped towards Ezio, who was brushing himself off with a shocked look on his face.“That thing almost killed us!” He told Edward, who nodded and took him by the hand to lead him further into the woods. Soon, though, they came across a cabin – one that was run down and looking to collapse.

“Charming.” Edward commented, walking along a small wooden bridge to inspect it further. “It’s everything you described, Edward.” Ezio teased, grinning from ear to ear with smug.

“Wait, what?” The blonde rose a scarred eyebrow, looking back as he turned left to walk along a new path.

“The cabin. I love it.”

“Yeah…” Edward chuckled, tilting his head to the side with a bit of laughter. As they walked further, the same sounds from earlier were coming closer. Close enough, the same deer from earlier jumped out onto the path, and disappeared once again into the thick woods that surrounded them both. “Ho!”

“Dio mio!” Ezio gasped, putting a hand to his chest to calm his racing heart. Then, they heard the sounds of a struggle, Edward stepping up the hill lightly to see what it is. Then, like a twig, something snapped and a low groan came ahead of them. “What was that?”

“Not sure I wanna know.” Edward muttered, seeing something in the distance. He shined his flashlight in that direction, walking down the hill to investigate. Once they were in sight, they could see the deer from before, with obvious – bleeding – cuts on its neck. It laid on a log, barely breathing as it tried to move. “Damn.” Edward cursed, staying back as Ezio stepped in closer.

“It’s horrible!” He bent down, looking at the deep gashes and the small twitches the animal made as it struggled for survival.

“I don’t think it’s gonna make it.” Edward pursed his lips, stepping closer.

  * **Kill Deer**
  * **Comfort Deer**



“Hey pal…” Edward whispered, slowly getting closer to it with his hand extended.

“Ohh… dio mio the poor thing…!” Ezio shook his head, looking down at the animal with sympathy.

“It’s okay…” Edward nodded, petting the deer’s fur in the most comfort he could give it while he slowly succumbs to death. “It’s okay… it’s okay.” Edward smiled softly, stroking the deer’s head. Ezio then put a hand on the blonde’s shoulder.

“Ed…! It’s in so much pain…!” The deer laid its head down, obviously taking comfort in Edward’s gentle caresses.

“It’ll be o’er soon…” The Welshman continued to stroke the deer, noticing the deer closing its eyes. “Okay pal? It’ll be o’er soon.” Soon after he said those words, the deer was then dragged away from them – with such a force it surprised the couple. “WHOA–” Edward shouted, before Ezio pulled him to his feet and they sprinted off from the scene. “RUN! RUN!”

“Oh Dio mio, what the hell was that!” Ezio shouted over the wind, keeping his eyes on the path as they ran.

“I don’t know–”

“There’s a bridge! Over here! Over here! Edward!” Ezio interrupted him in a panic, jumping across the bridge that had lost some planks. “Get over here!!” Edward jumped across the broken bride with a grunt, following his boyfriend through the woods.

“It’s a bear! Gotta be a bear!” He nodded to himself, hoping it wasn’t anything more than a bear.

“Look! Look!” They stopped at a fork in a path. The path continued to their right, while a faster way to climb up and escape whatever was chasing them was to their left.

  * **Risk Shortcut**
  * **Follow Path**



Choosing the path, Edward ran ahead of Ezio. “Stay on the path! We’re almost there!” He ordered, almost slipping in the snow as he stopped at a gate. He quickly pulled open the gate, making sure Ezio got through before setting his eyes back on the path. Before they knew it, they reached the cabin. Edward jumped up the stairs, racing towards the door. Only, he heard a thud, and he turned to see Ezio had fallen, the key right in front of him. 

  * **Help Ezio**
  * **Grab Key**



He abandoned the door and headed to his fallen lover. “Come on, we gotta go!” He grasped his arm and pulled him up, before Ezio pushed him away. 

“I am-” As Edward grabbed the key, Ezio looked behind him and practically hopped to the door. Edward quickly twisted the key into the lock, and slammed open the door. Ezio ran in first, Edward coming in after him and closing the door. He locked it, panting as Ezio panted and put his hands on his knees. “OH DIO mio, that was close!” Ezio breathed, running a hand through his messed up hair.

“Nah…” Edward breathed heavily, holding a hand up.

“What?” Ezio raised an eyebrow, looking down at him.

“Had it under control. Whole time.” He nodded, a sly smile coming to his lips as Ezio rolled his eyebrows and looked around.

“This isn’t the cozy cabin I was promised!” Ezio smirked, crossing his arms and sitting on the couch. 

“Yeah, it’s a bit drafty or something, right?” Edward shrugged, turning off the flashlight and setting it on the table.

“Well, there is a fireplace.” Edward huffed a laugh, walking around behind the couch.

“We don’t need a fire to heat things up.” He smiled.

“Edward. I am a lady–” Edward scoffed lightly at his teasing behavior. “– and a lady needs a proper romantic setting.”

“Oh… kay…?” Edward rolled his eyes.

“A lady would like to cuddle up with her man by a nice cozy fire bathed in atmospheric mood lighting.” Ezio waved his hand around him, looking at the fireplace as the blonde tilted his head behind the brunette. But, Edward had other plans.

“It’ll get plenty toasty once we’re rubbing up against each other…” He trailed off, leaning on the couch.

“Ed?”

“Yeah?”

“Fire. And mood lighting.” Edward pursed his lips, then nodded.

“Yes… M’lady.” He nodded, gaining a small chuckle out of the awaiting Ezio. Edward then set out to look around, easily finding a lantern in from of him and turning it on. “Ahh, this’ll take care of the mood lighting…” He nodded, stepping over to the fireplace next. Opening the cold, metal gate, he gathered some logs and stacked them into it. “Alright. Logs are ready to go. Just need a match.” He nodded, standing and heading over to the makeshift kitchen to search for said item. While he did that, Ezio was looking in his pocket, suddenly realizing he is missing something.

“Oh, merda! Cazzo! Ed!” He bit his lip, standing up and alerting the blonde to his activities.

“What?” He walked over to the panicking Ezio. “What?” He asked once again when he didn’t respond.

“Where is it!” Ezio looked all around the couch, and under it.

“What! What’s wrong?” Edward asked, raising an eyebrow at his behavior.

“Gone! It is gone, okay?” The brunette slapped his hands to his hips, releasing a long sigh.

“Ezio. Slow down. What is gone?” 

“My freakin’ phone, Sherlock!” He said it, matter of factly, and that was when Edward realized he couldn’t hear the soft tunes of Ezio’s romantic playlist.

“You can’t find it?”

“Crap! No! I must have dropped it outside!” Edward hesitated, leaning back.

“Ahh… shit…”

“I can’t lose my phone, my parents will kill me.” Ezio groaned, his parents gave him enough lectures about him in school, but he will definitely be banned from his friends’ parties if he loses this phone.

“You can always get a new one-” Ezio interrupted him.

“That’s like my fourth one this year.”

“Okay… okay… well, I’ll help you look for it-”

“It’s gotta be outside-” Edward hummed, looking at his lover with uncertainty.

“I… don’t think we wanna go out there, right now, with the bear… or whatever-it-is…”

“Ugh… fine.” With that, Edward continued to search for the matches, turning around to find some next to the flashlight. He chuckled at his ignorance, picking the pack up and walking over to the fire. Bending down, he lit the match with a scrap to the hard side and put it in the fire. 

“Man one. Fire zero.” He muttered, turning to face the brunette as he clapped for his boyfriend. 

“Bravo!” He cheered, a sly grin coming to his face.

“Alright, _my lady_. What comes next?”

* * *

The creature watched them from the window, soft pants leaving its lips. Long, slender fingers twitched, pupils darting left and right, investigating the scene that laid before it. It watched them both strip down to just a shirt and jeans. A laugh left Edward’s lips as he came upon his lover, warm lips connecting and smacking against each other. Ezio tangled a hand in the rough, blonde strands, bringing him closer with a small grunt escaping his lips. Edward placed both of his hands on the arm of the couch, longs legs coming into place beside Ezio’s hips. The brunette’s hands twitched in anticipation, itching to touch Edward’s inked skin. Only, before he could, they both heard a shatter coming from the bathroom. Edward pulled back with a gasp, looking towards the noise. “What?” He pursed his lips, making a move to stand up, before Ezio grasped his arm gently.

“Edward! What is that?” He whispered, looking up at the blonde.

“I don’t know… I’m going to go find out.” Edward patted Ezio’s thigh, stepping towards the table to grab the flashlight and flick it on. Once equipped, Edward walked into the back hallway, looking around the rooms to see where the bathroom was. He could see snow blowing in from the bedroom, which lead him to moving at a quick pace. Shining the flashlight into the bedroom, he could see the bathroom window was smashed open, as if something punched it. He then heard a faint tune, looking down on the rug to find the pink screen of Ezio’s _lost_ phone. “It’s your phone…!” He called, hearing the slightly light footsteps of the Italian. 

“What? How is it my phone?” He lowered an eyebrow, walking towards Edward.

“I don’t know it just… came through the window.” The blonde shrugged, turning towards Ezio, who was slowly growing furious. “What?”

“Those goddamned assholes probably followed us out here to fuck with us and just when we were getting down to business.” With a huff, Ezio stomped out of the room, with Edward fearfully following him. When he got to the door, Ezio swung it open and stomped out. “HEY! YEAH! PRICKS! THAT MEANS YOU! I KNOW you’re OUT THERE! The FUCK are you trying to do!” Ezio shouted, looking around the snowy land to see if their friends were truly out there. But, something much more horrible was watching him, just from the trees and behind the boulders. “You want to ruin our fun _that bad_? Well guess _what_? _You can’t_! You can’t ruin our good time! Because Edward and I are gonna FUCK! That’s right! We are going to have _SEX_! And it’s gonna be HOT! So **enjoy** it! Because I know we’re going to!” With a final huff, Ezio walked back inside, slamming the door shut as Edward waited by the couch. “Oh, darmi una rottura (give me a break).” He grumbled, watching as Edward picked up the lantern. But, as Edward made a move to go to him, the window smashed open, and Ezio was grabbed by the hair. The Italian let out a fearful scream, trying to rid the long nails from his long hair that could potentially rip it out. The glass broke, as Ezio struggled. But, with a final scream, the unrelenting grip pulled the male out the window, his scream echoing throughout the area.

* * *

Élise grasped the metal part of a candelabrum and stood, Arno watching her as she walked to the stairs. “Do you really think Evie was communicating with us?” He asked, standing to follow her. The girl sighed, then shrugged with pure honesty in her eyes.

“I don’t know. I don’t know if I wish they were or I wish they weren’t.” She looked down the stairs, while the brunette gestured towards where he assumed Jacob walked to.

“I guess we should find out.” He suggested, Élise nodding at his words.

## 23:14, Frye Lodge Library, Élise

They both walked down the stairs, Arno taking the lead. “Jacob looked really freaked out at the seance.” Élise commented with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Yeah, he looked like he was keeping it together, but…” Arno trailed off, glancing to the side.

“Do you think we shouldn’t have mentioned Evie?” She asked, worried for her British friend who was still mourning the loss of his twin sister and friend who had come to America with them.

“I mean, it’s why we came back up here.” Arno pursed his lips, looking back at the woman whom he loved.

“Oui but, not to have a seance. Maybe we went too far.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, immediately regretting asking the questions she did. They reached the bottom of the stairs, walking passed the different assortment of bookshelves, when Élise caught something out of the corner of her eye. Turning towards the concealed light, she stepped towards it. She soon figured out it was a small vent when she kneeled down to inspect it further. With her free hand, she grasped the edge of the small door and opened it slowly. It was light! Seeping through the wooden edges of the floorboards.

“Whoa… did you see that?” Arno asked, looking at it from behind Élise. 

“…Oui.” She raised an eyebrow.

“But the power’s not even on…” Arno crossed his arms, leaning his weight onto one leg while Élise closed it and stood once again.

“Bizarre.” She sighed, walking towards the first floor library. Arno walked in first, but he didn’t expect books start to fly out from the shelves. He covered his head, kneeling so he didn’t get hit.

“Jesus! Look out!” He warned Élise, who stepped back to avoid being targeted.

“Arno! Holy crap.” She gasped, looking towards Arno once he stood up.

“Are you okay?” He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I think so…” She looked towards the shelf, then found a silver button where the books were. “…look-”

“What?” Arno asked.

“There was something behind the books.” She tapped his arm and pointed to it. “What is that?” She muttered, tilting her head in a confused manner.

“Is it a button?” He took a step towards it as he spoke.

“Why would there be a button?” Arno pursed his lips at her question, shrugging his shoulders.

“That’s a good question.” He commented, looking down at her.

“Should I push it?” She asked, stepping towards it.

“That’s what buttons are for, I guess.” When he finished, Élise hesitatingly pushed the button. The shelf suddenly shook, then slid backwards and to the side. “Whoaa. Panel opens. Head explodes.” Arno put his hands on his head, stepping back as did Élise.

“Are we in a move right now?” She stared warily at the dark, secret room.

“If we are I hope it’s a rom-com.” His eyes went wide, taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart.

“Leave it to the Frye’s to have secret passages in their house.” The girl muttered, clenching the candelabrum tighter.

“Maybe they didn’t even know. This place is super old.” He looked around, before Élise spoke up.

“So… should we take a look?”

“Après vous (After you).” Arno stepped back, before Élise grasped his sleeve and handed in the candlabrum.

“No no no… you go.” She stated firmly, before Arno sighed and took it from her.

“Gee, thanks.” Arno tilted his head, holding the candelabrum in his grasp. 

## 23:19, Frye Lodge Library, Arno

As Élise stepped back, the brunette took a deep breath and slowly entered the secret room. When he did, a small video camera was watching him from the corner of the room. Surveillance recorded to the person who was at the base of operations. A spider then walked across the screen - slowly, might I add. Arno stepped to his left, towards a desk with books stacked above it. Upon closer inspection, Arno found a picture of Henry Green and Evie Frye, sitting plainly on the desk in all its glory. Gulping thickly, he picked up the photo, looking closely at the two friends who are still missing to this day. “Whoa.” He whispered in astonishment, before turning the picture over. He paled immediately, scanning over the wrecked hand writing and the letters that looked to be written in blood. After gaining control of himself, he started to read it.

**I WILL TAKE THEM AND BLEED THEM LIKE PIGS AND _RIP_ THEIR SKIN OFF! FUCKING _16_ YEARS. 16 YEARS I WAITED FOR PRETTY LITTLE EVIE AND HENRY**

“What?” Élise piped up from outside the room, starting to walk in. “What did you find?” Holding the letter, Arno bit his lip.

“…holy cow…” He muttered, looking up to the books as was close to facing Élise.

  * **Protective**  
“There’s nothing here.”
  * **Honest**  
“Take a look at this.”



Pursing his lips together, he turned around and scanned over the letter. “Now Éli…” He stepped lightly towards the redhead, wanting more than to not show her the letter and save her from being scared shitless. “…I don’t want to freak you out but… but look at this…” Once he was a foot away, she stepped towards him.

“ _What_? Arno, what **is** that?” She asked, making Arno huff in slight nervousness.

“I… I think this might be what the spirit board wanted us to find-” Élise hesitated, getting second thoughts about coming to the library.

“The clue?”

“Oui. It’s a letter.” Élise sighed, reaching for it.

“Let me see it.” She ordered, taking it from him.

“It’s a… threat.” Arno spoke as she read the letter etched in red. A horrified gasp left her lips as she finished the letter.

“Arno. This is serious. We need to find Jacob right now.” She stated firmly, walking out the secret room at a rapid pace, making Arno follow her in long strides. He lead the two out the library, eyes scanning the room for any threats that could potentially harm the both of them, mostly Élise, he didn’t want to see her hurt. Only, they both heard the faint sound of a door opening. 

“Uhhh…? What was that?” Élise asked, making Arno shrug and continue through the door that opened. Soon, they reached a door down a long hallway, Arno slowly opening it to take a peek inside. Though he’s visited this Lodge for years, it’s fairly large, thus Arno needs to survey the area when visiting again. He found himself at the entrance where he heated the doorknob to let the friends in. He knew Jacob wouldn’t go outside in this weather, so he and Élise walked to the main room.

“So, um. I’ve just been thinking about something I saw earlier with Claudia…” Arno started, looking back towards the redhead so she would listen. 

“What?”

“There was this wanted poster – like full on western-style, you know?” Élise raised an eyebrow, confused as to what Arno meant.

“So?”

“And Claudia really though there was someone following her around…” Élise winced at his words, hugging herself with slight fright.

“So… so what? You’re saying there’s some criminal up on the mountain with us?” Arno pursed his lips, glancing off to the side, before snapping his eyes back to her.

“I mean, maybe that was whoever was down in the basement before.” He said, gesturing towards the hallway they came from.

“What?”

“Under the floorboards… in the library. The light!” He raised both his eyebrows in disbelief, knowing Élise had investigated the light herself. “And well, there was that guy I told you about–”

“Wait, wait, wait. What guy?” She exclaimed, hugging herself tighter.

“The guy who threatened the Fryes… he said he wanted to take revenge by burning the whole place down.” He then tilted his head down, taking a step closer to her. “And I found that crazy psycho letter!”

“Arno, if this is your way of trying to make me feel better… you’re fired.” Élise shudders, looking up at Arno. Then, the doors to the kitchen suddenly bang, and screams could be heard behind them. 

“You hear that?” Arno asked, but before he could run over and investigate, Élise ran over to the doors and turned the knob.

“That was Jacob–” She shouted.

“Coming from the kitchen–”

“JACOB!” Élise called, opening the door fully and looking around the room.

“JACOB? We’re coming! Hold on!” Arno shouted, before Élise was suddenly pulled in by a strong force and the doors slammed shut, separating the pair. Élise’s screams and grunts were heard as Arno raced to the door. “Argh!” Arno grunted as he tried the door, before getting ready to forcibly push it door. “Élise? Are you okay? What’s going on, lemme in!” He exclaimed, before banging his shoulder against the door.

“Ugh!” He could hear the love of his life give out a weakened grunt, then all went silent as he banged his shoulder against the door.

“I’m… gonna… Ugh!” The door opened, and Arno fell to the ground. With a pained groan, he brought himself up to a stand, and saw the limp body of Élise laying on the ground in front of him. “Éli…?” He raised both of his eyebrows, fearing for her. But, as he called her name one more time, a figure with a mask on suddenly appeared in his vision, and punched him in the forehead – hard. “Hey–” He felt himself start to black out. His eyes closing as he fell to his knees, then to the floor where he then went unconscious.

* * *

The figure looked down at Arno as he laid, stunned and asleep. His lumber gloves creaking as he stretched his hands out. Him breathing sounded like Darth Vader. His mask was sickening, as was the rest of his outfit. The mask was white, cracked at the edges of his eyes, which were black and no one could see through them if they tried. There was no nose, and no upper lip, exposing the teeth and jaw that laid underneath. Black hair surrounded the mask, laying out behind him and ending at his shoulders. Taking deep breath, the figure turned towards the unconscious Élise, stepping over her to grab her petite wrist and test her weight. He then dragged her away from Arno, and out of the kitchen. 

* * *

Candles littered the stairs and railings, leading to the bathroom where Claudia was currently taking a bath. Balloons with arrows pointing downstairs were all set up by him, The Psycho. His sick, little game he set up for the friends whom returned to the mountain to spend a joyous winter weekend remembering the friends who went missing. He surveyed his set up, lighting a match and holding it over the stick of a candle, setting it on fire. He waved the match around, putting the tiny fire out. 

* * *

## Forth Session

The sudden change of the atmosphere and look of the room made my heart race. Ever since the last two sessions, he has been playing with my fears, making them a reality in just this one room. The nailed squirrel still laid on his desk, as well as the spider trapped in the glass jar. But, a needle with yellow fluid sat in front of me, my fingers shaking was the cause of it. Dr. Kenway stood by the boarded up window, as always, but a small gasp left my lips at the mannequin chained to the wall with a clown mask on. The therapist didn’t seem affected in the slightest, a sly smile coming to his face when he turned towards me. His hands entwined in front of him, he nodded to me in greeting, then walked towards the desk. His expression turned blank, leaning over to turn on the lamp that illuminated little of the room still. He let out a small grunt as he sat down in the old chair, popping his lips when we once again made eye contact. It was only seconds before he broke it to reach into a side drawer and pull out a small, brown book. “I’m going to show you some, uh, picture of people you have come to know… and like.” He opened the book and set it down in front of me, smiling almost innocently as he leaned back. He picked up the same charts and pen, opening the lid and putting it on the desk. “But… maybe you don’t like them as much as you **_pretend_** to.” He tilted his head, sending my nerves sky high. “Well, this is an exercise in honesty. Tell me which person from each pair you like the most. Take your time – your answers are important.” Nodding, I reached over and picked up the book, holding it open to I could see the pictures. First, I could see a brunette, whose name is Claudia Auditore, on the left side. Another picture is of another brunette, this time with a scar on his right eyebrow and a long one on his cheek, who is Jacob Frye. I pursed my lips, crossing one leg over the other to get some comfort in this.

  * **I Prefer Claudia**
  * **I Prefer Jacob**



“Jacob.” I stated, already starting to turn the page. The next pictures I recognized almost immediately. The first one showed a light brunette with cold eyes and a scar across his lips, Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad. The next showed a Native American with a small scar on his right cheek, his chocolate brown eyes resembled his protectiveness, which means he’s Connor Kenway.

  * **I Prefer Altaïr**
  * ****I Prefer** Connor**



“Connor, of course.” I nodded, flipping the page. Now, the two lovebirds whom everyone wants to see together, Arno Dorian and Élise de la Serre. Arno wore his brown hair in a low ponytail, never liking his hair in his face – his scar was across the top of his left cheek, extending to near his right eye. Élise had a simple blue headband on, contrast to her bright and long red hair. She had no scars, though she’s feisty and quick to defend herself when put in a tough situation.

  * ****I Prefer** Arno**
  * ****I Prefer** Élise**



“Arno, one look and he already has you in his trap.” I chuckled, turning the page with a small grin. Next, showed the couple who were sent away to the cabin, Edward Kenway and Ezio Auditore. Now, Edward has been known to get in a lot of fights, mostly when he’s drunk, so he has a few scars. One ran down his right eye, also along his right cheek and another one intercepting it. His blonde hair was tied back, out of the way for when he needed to concentrate the most. Ezio, the more giddy of the two, is Claudia’s older brother and Edward’s boyfriend. He usually tied his dark brown hair back, and he had a scar running down his lips from a fight a few years ago.

  * ****I Prefer** Edward**
  * ****I Prefer** Ezio**



“Ezio.” I hummed, turning the page in the next second. The pictures were the exact same from, only they were of Claudia and Altaïr. Pursing my lips together, I looked up at Dr. Kenway, who was writing away in his notes.

  * ****I Prefer** Claudia**
  * ****I Prefer** Altaïr**



“Claudia.” I pointed to her picture, before turning the page. Then, the pictures showed Élise and Edward, all these four I didn’t pick earlier. 

  * ****I Prefer** Élise**
  * ****I Prefer** Edward**



“Edward.” I pointed to his picture, looking up at Dr. Kenway as he gave me a sideways glance. Setting his charts down with a knowing look, he leaned on the desk as he talked.

“…So tell me, in this **game** you’re playing so… diligently, who is it, that you most dislike?” He asked, entwining his hands in front of him. Turning the page, I pursed my lips at the pictures that were presented.

  * ****I Dislike**  Altaïr**
  * ****I Dislike**  Élise**



With a shaky finger, I pointed to Altaïr. “Him. Altaïr.” I muttered, looking back up at the Doctor as he gave a small hum and nodded.

“A bit too _bitchy_ for your taste?” He smirked. “Often a _lack_ of confidence manifests itself as _over_ confidence, think about that. Is that a not just a little bit like… _you_?” Both of my eyebrows rose at his assumption, close to answering when the clock suddenly rang, him looking towards it. “Ah, once again I’m afraid we’re out of time, we’ll talk again soon.” He stood up immediately this time, not waiting for a response as he stepped over to the boarded up window. Raising an eyebrow at his suspicious behavior, I watched him for a few more seconds to see if he would turn around and ask ‘why I’m still here’. Licking my dry lips, I ran a hand through my hair before standing up. _Often a_ lack _of confidence manifests itself as_ over _confidence_ …? Hopefully this doesn’t affect me later.


	5. Loyalty

******Loyalty, Seven Hours Until Dawn**

“Oh fuck. What the fuck.” Edward said in disbelief, scrambling to pick up the lantern and sniper from the wall. He then twisted the knob and slammed the door open. “EZIO!” He shouted, running down the stairs to chase after the unknown attacker and get his lover back. But, he stopped when his booted feet came in contact with shattered glass, wood, and a trail of fresh blood. “Oh, devil curse me… devil CURSE me…” He looked up, the cold only a burden to him as he raced after them. “EZIO!”

## 23:59, Cabin, Edward

“Ezio…” He took short breaths, focusing on the task at hand. Even if he only wore a tank top, jeans, and boots, he was concentrated on following the trail of blood. His breath disappeared into the icy air, along with the confidence he had just minutes ago. His heart was beating at a rapid pace, stomach heaving to get some breath in his lungs. Then, coming to a fork in the path, he stopped, looking both ways to see which way to help him the most. To his left was a river, with barrels leading to another path, while the path they took was to his right, one he knew well.

  * **RISK SHORTCUT**
  * **FOLLOW PATH**



Turning to his left, he took the shortcut, the faster he is, the fast he’d get his lover to safety. With a grunt, he slid down the snow covered hill, and stood on the barrels upon the river. Grasping the sniper and lantern gently, he stepped back, before running along the barrel, hopping from it to the next one. He lost balance for only a split second, before he used it to jump to the barrel across from him. “Woah!” He gasped, finally finding solid ground and taking deep breaths to calm himself. “EZIO!” He shouted once again, once again starting his chase to look for the brunette. He huffed, barely holding on to his breath as he called for his lover. He squinted his eyes, trying to see in front of him for the snow was blowing wildly and blinding his sight. Left to right, he shone the lantern, the vast array of trees giving off his aura that chilled the blonde. Only, he came to a sudden stop, if he wouldn’t have seen the ledge, he would’ve fell deep in to the abyss. He took a kneel, grasping the sniper and directing it towards the almost dark area. “Jaysus… Fuck! Fuck!” Looking into it, he could see an overturned tree in his line of vision, but, as he directed it to his right, he quickly found Ezio. He was looking back, trying to crawl away from the unknown attacker. He was incredibly dirty from the ground he was dragged on, movements sloppy with fear – Ezio didn’t get very far. He was grabbed by the ankle, and was dragged opposite the way he was trying to go. The Italian screamed, hands trying to grab something solid to prevent his kidnapping.

“ARGH! NO! EDWARD! HELP ME!! HELP ME!!!” He shouted, soon fading from Edward’s sight.

“No!” Edward swore loudly, pulling back from the sniper and grabbing the handle of the lantern. He looked over the ledge, shaking from the cold.

  * **GO AROUND**
  * **JUMP DOWN**



Choosing the latter, he sat on the edge, and slipped! “Holy SHIIIT!” He shook with the impacts of the rocks on his bottom, trying to grasp anything to delay the fall to his death. But, as he felt the makeshift slide give out from under him, he grasped the tree with both of his hands, dropping the lantern by mistake. He panted heavily, swinging there for a moment before letting go, landing with a soft grunt. The blonde then went for the sniper, grabbing the handle and picking up the sniper. Edward looked left and right, sprinting to his right where the creature took the brunette. He kept his lips shut, lantern extended in front of him. He ducked under a tree, jumped over a fallen one, and hopped off a couple of boulders. All in good fun, he joked. Coming across another fork in his path, he looked left and right, weighing his decisions. To his left, where was a boulder sticking out, one he could very much jump on, and there was a narrow path to his right, he’d have to rely on his balance for that.

  * **JUMP**
  * **SHIMMY**



Taking a couple steps back, he ran towards the boulder. “Okay…” He muttered as he jumped across, but, as he regained his balance to jump to the other one, he lost it and nearly fell into the abyss. “FUCK!” He swore, hanging onto the ledge. He heaved himself up, surprised he wasn’t tired. He groaned once he stood up straight again, running up the hill that was in front of him. Breathing heavily through his nose, he quickly stopped himself before he tripped once again. Scanning over the new area, he found an old watch tower that was the tallest of all the buildings, along with a barn right beside it. They both looked as if with the slightest touch, they’d fall apart. With a tired groan, Edward looked down, noticing more paths to follow.

  * **FOLLOW PATH  
**
  * **RISK SLIDE DOWN**



He took quick steps down the very steep hill. “Oh shite…” He then lost his balance, and slid down at a rapid pace. “NO NO! DAMMIT! NO!” He shouted, reaching out to grab a root of a tree, trying to slow the fall. He let go almost immediately, continuing to fall down the hill. The blonde then found a ledge to grasp, and grasp he did. He pursed his lips, looking down to look for solid ground to land upon. With a huff, he let go, gasping once his feet made harsh impact with the ground. Once he knew he wouldn’t lose focus, he turned towards the large drop off. “Come on… come on… let’s go Eddy boy!” He praised himself, grasping the edge of the wooden walkway, he slowly let his leg go over the edge. He groaned, dropping from the broken walkway. “Oof!” He breathed as he found solid ground, along with the lantern he dropped. Grasping the handle, he picked the object up, and looked behind him. Quickly noticing the tower, he ran towards it, panting heavily as the breath was knocked from him.

“Oh no, Edward!” He could hear Ezio’s shouts in the distance. Running through a small shed, Edward called back.

“EZIO!” He came to the tower, and gasped as he saw Ezio being dragged into the open doors.

“HELP ME!!” The Italian shouted, before the doors closed, blocking Edward from seeing the two. Arriving at the doors, Edward shook the handle, and pushing it open. Taking deep breath, the blonde looked around, the bark a contrast to the weather outside. 

“…EZIO!” He walked along the wooden floors, trying to listen to his lover’s voice.

“ARGH! NO!! EDWARD HELP ME!! HELP ME!!” He walked down the stairs that was barely keeping itself together.

“EZIO! I’M COMING!” He called back, hoping he would hear. “I’M COMING!” To his right, he noticed a small wooden object, immediately walking towards it. When he kneeled down to pick it up, he quickly turned it over to save time.

_With a small laugh, Edward extended a hand out towards the wolf’s fur, stroking it gently as the wolf accepted his gesture._

Guidance, the butterfly was outlined with yellow. He put the object down, and stood up once again. **UNSAFE KEEP OUT.** He stepped towards the cave, the sign above him did little to deter his determination to find Ezio. The blonde followed the mine tracks, clenching the sniper as he walked more quickly. “EZIO!”

“HELP ME!” The pained shout of Ezio echoed throughout the cave. “Oh no, Edward!”

“…EZIO!” Edward shouted, hoping Ezio would call back. But, he heard another scream, one that was raked with sobs. Edward found hope once he made it out the cave and towards an elevator, he looked up, then back down. “NO!!” He gasped, seeing the limp body of his lover on the platform. “OH GOD!!” As he kneeled to look down upon the Italian, he quickly noticed how bloody he was. Deep cuts and slashes decorated his body, leaking blood the more he breathed shallowly. “Nooo… Ezio.” Edward bit his lip, fearing the worst. Ezio’s fingers twitched! “Oh god!” Edward put the lantern on the shaft and the sniper beside him, reaching out towards his lover. “Ezio! Ezio! Are you okay?” He asked, hoping he could help him sit up. But, as Ezio tried to get up, he quickly fell back down, groaning in pain with the cuts marking his left cheek.

“…Help…” He muttered, making Edward reach out for him once again, but, as he did. The elevator shook, and the platform soon took Ezio down with it. Edward let out a small shout, seeing Ezio fading down the elevator. 

“EZIOOO!” He shouted, fingers shaking violently. He received no answer, and Edward swore loudly. But, a shriek from above alerted him. “Huh? What the heck?” Looking up, he quickly picked up the sniper and pointed it upwards. Looking through the scope, he could see a figure at the top of the elevator, and he put his finger on the trigger. He shot, creating a loud ringing in his ears. Making sure the figure was gone, Edward looked towards the stairs to his left, and started to ascend them.

* * *

Edward took the stairs two steps at a time, shock and anger flooding through his body at what had just occurred. Ezio was fatally injured, and Edward was sure he was dead now – he had to catch whoever did this! 

## 00:12, Mines, Edward

He grunted with effort, running across the platforms and bracing himself as he climbed the stairs once again. Only, when he reached another platform, it was torn apart, leaving him to quickly jump across. It shook slightly as he landed upon the other side, but he staggered with a step forward, stopping when there wasn’t a path ahead of him. His sea blue eyes then looked up, seeing the perfect way to climb and follow the attacker. Tugging the strap of the snipper over his shoulder and under his arm. “Which way…?”

  * **Safe**
  * **Quick**



Climbing up onto the fence, he braced himself to jump. With a grunt, he forced himself to jump, grasping the edge of a beam. He groaned deeply, reaching with his other hand for the rusty fence. The blonde slowly climbed it then, looking upwards to his next destination.

  * **Shimmy**
  * **Jump**



Letting his weight fall on his arms, he shuffled across the beam, coming to a stop at the other side.

  * **Climb  
**
  * **Shimmy**



“Ho-kay… ho-kay…” Edward whispered, jumping up with a small grunt, grasping the fence first, before stepping into the rusted beam. Edward looked over to a ledge that seemed in stable condition. He nodded to himself, pulling the sniper from its place as he turned over to jump across. He gathered his courage, pushing himself off the beam and onto the ledge. Looking down at the sniper, he nodded as it was in perfect condition. But, when he looked up, he could see a figure in a heavy jacket walking ahead of him. “Shite! There he is!” He whispered, looking through the scope to see who it was, but he disappeared into another part of the area. Edward quickly followed the man, coming to a spot where he could take the shot. He lined it up, watching the man through the scope. But, when he pulled the trigger, it clicked, and didn’t shoot any bullets. “What? Come on.” He shook it, then threw it to the ground. “Piece of shit…” He looked back up, seeing the figure kneel at the edge of a gate that was starting to close. The figure hopped down, disappearing from Edward’s sight. “Gotta make it!” Edward ran towards the closing gate, clenching his fists as he prepared to slide under it – and he did! Sliding under the gate, Edward stood and looked around, the figure no longer there. Then, he noticed the lantern to his left, and he kneeled to light it. “Finally!” He grabbed the lighter from his back pocket, opening the lantern to light it. Once he gained light, he picked the lantern up and looked around, his eyes looked down at the broken staircase. He took the same passage the stranger went, and jumped down. Then, he took off, running out of the cave and back into the snowy night, except he could barely see over the blizzard. Raising a hand to cover his face, he slowly walked up the hill, coughing slightly from the wind. He then knew he reached the top of the hill, looking out towards the large building a distance ahead. “Jaysus!” He whispered in astonishment. “The fuck is that place?” He then looked over to the hill, seeing the mysterious figure walking up hill towards the giant building. _The Old Sanatorium_.

* * *

“Ungh…” Arno groaned as he woke up from the beating he took. “Ugh… what the fu-” He noticed the flashlight in front of him, turning on and waiting for him to pick it up. The brunette hissed at the pain in his head, placing his hand on the purple bruise that was above his left eye. Extending his shaking hand, he wrapped his finger around the handle and slowly pushed himself up to his feet. “Oh no…” it dawned on him, Élise and Jacob were gone! “ÉLISE!” He called.

## 00:41, Frye Lodge, Arno

He took a look around, analyzing the scene that laid before him. Chair were pushed over, the bowl of apples laying on the tiled floor, the rug pushed up against the cupboard – the obvious signs of a struggle taking place. With a loud curse, he took off through the Kitchen, heading for the back entrance. “Éli…?” He pursed his lips, taking a deep breath. “ÉLI?” He let out a small yelp as he suddenly stepped in a sticky liquid. Looking down, he quickly noticed the blood stain around a small, decorative pouch. Bending down, he scooped it up, turning it over to see his crush’s name stitched onto the front, covered in blood. “Pas bon (not good)…” He muttered, placing it in his pocket to give it back once he found her. Turning to his right, he stepped over to the double doors, testing the knob and finding it unlocked. A crow suddenly screeched at him and flew away. “What?” He gasped, shining his flashlight towards the obvious blood stain on the wall. “Aw shit! No!” He shook his head, biting his lip with small fright. He then heard the roar of the wind, coming from the open door. “Éli!” He called once again, quickly stepping out the door and into the snowy land. With a groan, he walked down the stairs at a rapid pace, his attention solely focused on finding his friends.

* * *

“ÉLISE!” Arno cupped a hand around his chappy lips, calling her name for the millionth time. “Where are you!” He shivered, trudging through the snow as he found a light in the distance, it was small, but that could be a sign! Upon closer inspection, he found it was a large, wooden barn. The old door was wide open, inviting him in for a peak inside. Seeing no other choice, the brunette slowly stepped inside, shaking his head to rid his long hair of the fluffy white snow. 

“…Arno…?” He heard a mutter from inside, one that sounded like Élise.

“Éli I’m here!” He called, stepping further into the darkened barn. “Do you know where you are?”

“I’m… I don’t know…” Arno’s stomach fluttered in nervousness, shining the flashlight around. It was truly a madhouse, he observed. Cages and different lengths of chains hung from the ceiling. Mounted antlers over a table, and puppets were tied to the wooden pillars, in a most sickening way – Arno almost felt the bile rising in his throat. 

“Are you okay? What the hell happened?”

“S'il vous plaît… aidez-moi… (Please… help me…)” He heard the redhead groan, along with a clank of metal.

“I’m coming Éli – just keep talking! What happened?” Only, before she could speak, a cage fell from the ceiling, and nearly fell on the searching Arno. He gave a small yelp and jump back as the cage made a loud ‘BANG’ that had his ears ringing. He groaned, trying to pay attention to Élise’s soothing voice.

“He tied me up… I can’t move!” The signs of a struggle reached his ears, and Arno then stepped towards the hidden room on the right. As he shined his flashlight on the caged window, a blinding light suddenly came on and focused on the tied up Élise and Jacob, who seemed to be still unconscious from the Psycho’s attack. Arno jumped, eyes going wide as he noticed the searching Élise.

“Arno…? Are you there…?” She asked, her eyes going towards the window where Arno was looking in. As they made eye contact, a deep, chilling voice same from a speaker that echoed throughout the barn.

“Hello, and thank you all for joining me.” Élise screamed, trying to turn towards Jacob.

“JACOB! Oh mon DIEU! JACOB WAKE UP!” She screamed at him, and it did the trick! Jacob roused from his forced sleep with a muffled groan, then started to become aware of his surroundings.

“Huh…? What…?” He muttered, noticing the crying Élise.

“Tonight, we’re going to conduct a little experiment.” Arno ran towards the door that separated him from them, and banged on it, doing anything to get it open.

“Oh no…”

“What is this?” Jacob looked around, then up to his hands bound in an iron cuff.

“A sort of test.” The voice continued, chilling the friends to their bones.

“Élise, what the hell is going on?” Jacob asked her, starting to struggle in his restraints. Only, they all stopped when they noticed the circular saw in front of them. It was powered by a generator, and was sitting peacefully on a track. The rails lead forward, but separated into two rails, leading towards Élise and Jacob. Arno feared the worst.

“Now for this experiment, we’ll need the cooperation of our two test subjects… Jacob and Élise…” Élise struggled harder.

“I don’t know I don’t know I don’t know!” She cried, closing her eyes as more tears escaped her face, knowing there was nothing she could do to escape.

“The devil…” Jacob gulped thickly, his eyes as wide as saucers staring at the saw.

“But, we’re going to need one more brace participant to help decide… which subject will live, and which will die.” Arno clenched his fists, breathing heavily as he started to panic.

“NO! ARNO, **GET US OUT OF HERE**!” Élise screamed, shaking her head in denial.

“NO! YOU CAN’T DO THIS! LET ME DOWN FROM HERE YOU MANIAC!” Jacob breathed deeply, his hazel eyes darting around the room for a way out.

“Please. Please, please, everyone calm down. It’s all very simple.” Arno’s eyes started to water, biting his lip harshly as the voice then spoke to him. “Arno Dorian, you will find a lever placed directly in front of you.” His chocolate eyes cast downwards, indeed seeing a lever with two pictures on it. “All you have to do… is choose who you will save!” The voice demanded him, and Arno stepped forwards to look at the lever. If he flipped the lever to the left, he would save Élise, but if he flipped it to the right, he’d save Jacob. The saw started with a ‘whirrrl’, starting its slow decent towards the friends.

“Oh no… please! This can’t be happening…! This isn’t right…” Élise whispered, hanging her head in a defeated gesture.

“Damn… damn… no!” Jacob yelled. “Okay… okay… okay… okay, this is gonna be okay…” He muttered, trying to calm them both down.

“Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap. Oh crap.” Arno chanted, running his hands through his messy hair as he paced in terror.

“Arno… buddy… let’s-let’s just think about this for a minute!” Jacob looked up at the scared Arno, while Élise shook her head once again.

“Oh mon dieu! ARNO! You CAN’T LET ME DIE!” She cried.

“Just, just, just… Gimme a second… I, I – can’t think straight… shit…” Arno muttered, putting his hands on his head. As he panted heavily, he quickly thought about his crucial decision, that could possibly get one of them killed. He couldn’t do this… he cares about the both of them! But, he knew he’d have to make up his mind.

  * **SAVE JACOB  
** “I’m sorry, Élise.”
  * **SAVE ÉLISE  
** “I’ll save you!”



“Élise, I’ll get you out of this, I won’t let you die!” Arno called with a shaking voice, his eyes darting from his crush to his best friend.

“Oh dieu… Dieu merci!” Élise sighed, while Jacob stared at Arno with wide eyes. “Oh merci… merci!”

“No!” Jacob shook his head rapidly. “Please! No!” He shouted, his eyes starting to fill with tears, his death was near.

“This is insane… this is nuts. This isn’t happening. Arno. Please tell me this isn’t happening.” Élise sniffed, looking at Arno with pleading eyes. 

“I-I don’t know what to do…!” Arno cried, putting a hand on his forehead.

“Bro! Bro, we’ve been through so much, come on… I don’t wanna go out like this…!” Jacob shook his head, watching the saw as it drew closer. 

“Arno, please!” Élise looked through the window at her crush. “I’m so scared! Please don’t let him kill us!”

“I know… I know we haven’t been the best of friends lately… and I’ve been kinda messed up and everything… but I’m getting better, man… I swear!” Jacob pleaded, nodding his head with his words. Only, Arno extended his hand toward the red handle of the lever. He looked from the pictures to his friends, then, with a tearful face, he flipped the lever to his left, the lever stopping just before Élise’s picture. Jacob noticed, and started to violently protest.

“Ah… I see. You have chosen… **to save Élise**.” The voice echoed once again, making Arno panic.

“NO ARNO!” Jacob continued to scream. The saw slid to the right, heading straight for Jacob’s waist.

“Oh… oh no…” Arno shook his head, frozen in place as he watched Jacob struggle to no avail. “No, no, no, no, no, no…”

“OH DIEU JACOB!” Élise cried out.

“I thought we were FRIENDS man! I thought we were FRIENDS, why would you DO THIS!!” Arno felt his heart shatter, seeing the pleading look on Jacob’s face.

“Je suis désolé, je suis désolé, je suis désolé.” Arno cried, running his hand over his face to try and block his eyes from the scene. “THIS IS MADNESS, PLEASE!”

“NO! OH GOD WHAT DID I DO?!!” Jacob cried, watching the blade as it slowly got closer to him. “WHAT DID I DO?”

“Stop it, you can’t do this! Please!” Arno protested, wishing this was all just a bad dream.

"AHHHH!!" The blade then ripped through the younger Frye twin, tearing a painful scream from the Brit. His body shook with the roaring blade, his face slowly lowering into a blank expression as he felt his body be ripped in half. He breathed shallowly, feeling his life slipping through his fingers. “Oh Jacob. Jacob I’m so sorry!” Arno sniffed, shaking his head. He watched Jacob go limp, the lower half of his body dripping with blood and falling to the ground in front of the saw. Jacob’s head rolled to the right, his eyes closing as the saw then stopped, frightening Élise. “No no no. D-Don’t look, Élise, don’t look!” Arno ordered her, trying to look for a way in to save her before the Psycho comes back.

“Why can’t I look, Arno? Please tell me he’s okay, please…!” The door he tried to open earlier opened, and Arno raced through it.

“I’m coming, Éli, I’m gonna get you. I’m letting you down.” The redhead cried, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

“Argh!”

“Shhh – stop please–” Arno begged her, stepping on a platform to unlock the cuff on her wrists. “Come on, come on, let’s get you down… come on… we’re gonna get you out of here…” He tried to comfort her, feeling like he was talking to them both, knowing the dead body of Jacob was right beside them.

“No! No!” Élise shook her head, she shakily step down, and Arno put his hands on her cheeks, trying not to let her look. But, she looked anyway. “NOOOO!” She reached a hand out towards Jacob, but Arno put a hand on her eyes, walking them both towards the door.

“Shhh, we gotta go, okay?” Arno whispered, keeping her close so she would follow him. He kept looking towards the corpse of his best friend, knowing this was because he couldn’t go anything to prevent his death. The brunette lead them out of the barn, trying to get Élise to keep up with him.

* * *

Altaïr and Connor walked towards the Lodge, quietly talking, until they found the crippling Arno and Élise in the distance. “Arno!” Connor called, his face growing into concern as they noticed them crying. “Élise!” The couple raced towards the crying figures, stopping once they noticed the blood on the red heads clothes.

“Blood! Whose blood is that, Éli?” Altaïr asked, looking down at her. “Arno what happened?”

“J-Jacob…” Arno’s voice was laced with pure sadness and grief, his hands running through his messy hair.

“Jacob what?” Connor reached out a hand towards Élise, but she stepped back, frightened by eyebrow.

“He’s dead-” Arno sniffed. “Right in front of us-”

“Wait, what?”

“What are you talking about?” Altaïr shook his head, taking a step forwards.

“Th-There’s a maniac-”

“Maniac?” Connor tilted his head, looking down in confusion.

“We gotta get out of here.” Altaïr pursed his lips, looking between the lovebirds.

“I don’t understand what happened-” Connor started, before Arno interrupted him.

“There’s a maniac! And… he was- there was a saw…” Élise shook at the horrible event, trying to rid her eyes of tears while Arno explained what happened. “… and it was either him or Élia and I didn’t know what to do!”

“Oh god…” Altaïr winced.

“Cut right through him and- spilling out fucking everywhere-”

“What! Oh my god, Arno what?” Arno hesitated, his eyes slowly growing wide as he found his words and train of thought.

“I-I killed him! I-I killed him…”

“Whoa, Arno-”

“OH DIEU!” Élise put a hand on her heart, taking deep breaths.

“It was my FAULT, Connor-” Arno cried, putting his hands on his knees as he tried to calm down.

“No. No, this is insane. We need to go get some help.” Altaïr put a hand on Connor’s arm, who nodded with him.

“Cut right in half…” Arno muttered, shaking his head.

“We’re gonna figure this out, Arno.” Connor tried to offer comfort, but he knew with what’s happened, that wouldn’t do anything. Arno shuddered, muttering ‘I don’t know’.

“Connor, we need to go get help.” Altaïr looked down at the brunette and redhead, but Connor shook his head.

“Alty, we should look for the others–”

“Ed and Ezio are off 69′ing each other and who knows where Claudia is.” Arno looked over to the couple, pointing to the Lodge.

“I think she’s in the Lodge-” He said, then Altaïr nodded.

“Fine. Fine you’re right. Get everyone else together. But, if there’s a maniac running around I think we need to get some help, too, right? Not just wait around?” He suggested, Connor looked down at him, protesting.

“But what about–”

“Why are we still talking about this? Let’s go!” Everyone nodded, Arno and Élise marched past the couple to get Claudia. Altaïr looked after them, and Connor shook his head. _What the hell just happened?_

* * *

## Fifth Session

When I had walked in, a surprised gasp left my lips at the state the room was in – it was even more horrifying. Hooks, cages, and little dolls littered the floor. The velvet curtains were even more ripped, swaying in time with the wind coming in through the boarded window. But, his desk stayed the same. The needle, spider, and nailed squirrel still laid upon it. His name tag, organized papers, lamp – everything stayed in place. How come the rest of the room is different? I shook as I walked, taking a shaky step forward to sit in the unusually comfy chair. It was only a few seconds after I had sat, and Dr. Kenway greeted me with a much more cheerful aura. _Something is definitely going on._ He turned towards me, and grinned. He rubbed his hands excitedly, and he walked towards the eerie mannequin with the clown mask. Only, it was sitting down in a wooden chair, hands on knees and a saw going through its head. The sinister smile still remained on the mask, bloody as it may be. Dr. Kenway flicked the metal blade and smiled at the noise that echoed throughout the room. He practically skipped over to the desk after that, rolling the red chair out and hopping into it. Placing his legs on the desk, he crossed them and entwined his hands in his lap. “Hello again.” He put on his facade, a blank expression as he gestured towards the windows. “Things are getting pretty tense out there, aren’t they?” He entwined his bony hands, eyebrows raising. “Is the night going the way you had hoped it would?” He asked, making me purse my lips and look down towards the desk.

  * **It’s Going Fine**
  * **No, It’s Not**



“It’s going just fine, thank you very much.” I smiled, leaning forward as I placed my hands on my knees. 

“Hm. I see…” He quickly dragged his legs off the table, sitting up straight to face me with a somewhat angry look. “…And do you think that these poor people are getting what they **deserve**?” He pointed a lone finger at me, placing his arms on the desk to set his weight on it.

  * **What Do You Want?**
  * **Who Are You?**



A sense of fear flooded through me, all signs of confidence gone as I leaned back into the seat with my eyes going wide. “What do you want?” I raised an eyebrow, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

“I am ** _trying_** to help you.” His voice lowered to an angry whisper, a snarl spreading across his face. “And this  ** _‘game’_** you’re playing…” He made air quotes, tilting his head to the side. “You understand that it is not good for you… It’s not good for anyone.” He leaned forward, his stance calm, but angered. I must’ve touched a nerve. “And I can’t say that you’re being particularly _loyal_ in the way you’re ** _‘playing’_**!” He entwined his hands once again, pursing his lips at my shocked expression. The man then stood, walking back to the window and crossing his arms as he looked out to the moonlight. I had assumed that the session was over, and I was beginning to collect my thoughts – but the light from outside flashed, and Dr. Kenway appeared behind the desk once again, a small yelp escaping my throat. He leaned his weight on the desk, appearing intimidating. “Do you intend to continue with this elaborate, **self** indulgence?” His voice echoed throughout the walls, ringing in my ears with its booming volume. I could feel my fingers shake, and toes curl in my shoes. I gulped thickly, not breaking eye contact as I thought about my answer.

  * **Yes, I Will Continue**
  * **You’re Freaking Me Out**



“You’re freaking me out.” I said in fright, earning myself a small smirk.

“Do you even believe that _I_ am _real_?” He asked, an eyebrow raising in question.

  * **You’re Real**
  * **You Don’t Exist**



Lowering my eyebrows at the bizarre question, I answered with a spark of anger. “You’re real!” I stomped my foot on the ground, standing up to come face-to-face with him. I could feel the nasty glare on my face, while he leaned on the desk, unaffected. 

“Ah, the heart of the problem.” Pursing my lips, I clenched my fists. “It all comes down to this: can you **really** tell the _**difference**_ anymore…?” The fear slowly crawled back into me, a eerie smile growing across his face. “I doubt it.” He finished, the glare turning into that of a frightened look, like a child when you steal their candy. He pushed himself off the desk, giving me one last look before returning to the window. Crossing his arms, he looked out the boarded window, and I feared he’d come back to the desk to give me another lecture about my decisions. So, I composed myself, and quickly walked back to the door. With my back pressed to it, a small whimper left me as my shaking hand found the doorknob. I twisted it open, before walking out the room with my stomach fluttering in nervousness. 


	6. Prey

##  **Prey, 6 Hours Until Dawn**

Leaning back on the comfy chair, the masked man watched through his many cameras as Connor and Altaïr walked through the gate leading to the Cable Car Station. The little button on the gate glowed green, signaling it was unlocked. But, with the click of a mouse, the button glowed red, and the lock latched on to the gate. Crossing his arms, he watched the couple as they walked down the path to the station.

* * *

“Hey… it’s locked!” Connor stated, confused as he pushed the button. “The hell? Who did that?” He grumbled, taking his finger off the button and followed Altaïr down the path. “There’s some seriously uncool crap going on up here tonight…”

## 01:05, Upper Cable Car Station, Connor

“I can’t believe Jacob is dead.” Altaïr sighed, crossing his arms to get warmer. 

“I can’t believe _how_ he died.” Connor shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets. After a brief moment of silence, Altaïr spoke.

“What if they were wrong?” He asked, stopping to look back at his lover.

“What?” He raised an eyebrow, looking down at the brunette.

“Maybe we should have checked the shed to see if it was really true.” Shrugging, the shorter male continued his way towards the station, with Connor trailing behind him.

“I don’t know. There are some things that once you see them, you can never un-see them.” He stated, looking around the familiar landscape.

“Yeah, I guess… but some things you have to see for yourself.” They both nodded, stomping their boots on the wooden floor to get the almost heavy snow off.

“I’ll take their word for it.” Connor trusted Arno and Élise very well, the blood, their crying proved what had occurred. Looking up, Connor raised his eyebrow at the shiny object stuck in the door. “Look, an axe…” Extending his hands towards it, he grasped the handle. “I feel better with an axe.” He gave a mighty pull, and the axe came free from the door. Altaïr then tried the door, grumbling when it wouldn’t budge. 

“Oh, what now! It’s locked!” When Connor gave no response, he rolled his eyes and gestured to the door. “Well, break the door down, will ya?” Connor shook his head with a crease of an eyebrow at Altaït’s words.

“Whoa, wait a second. We start smashing shit down he’s gonna hear us.” He stated, not thinking it was a good idea.

“You got any better suggestions?” The brunette raised an eyebrow, looking around just as Connor turned away.

“I dunno. What about…” He then stopped as he found an open window on the far side of the station. “… look! A window.” Hearing Altaïr’s scoff from behind him, the giant turned to look down at the somewhat annoyed male.

“That’s great, Connor. I can just about fit my phone through that little slot.”

“No, you will.”

“You will never fit trough there, big guy.” Connor sighed softly, looking down at the brunette.

  * **Help Altaïr Through**
  * **Smash Door**



“Okay, fine.” He went passed Altaïr and heading towards the door, holding the axe in a steady grip. “Here goes.”

“Shh! Just do it!” At his words, Connor raised the axe and hit the door right beside the knob. With a grunt, he pulled the weapon out and swung again, the axe landing in the same spot it did before. Connor then grasped the axe underneath the blade and pulled it out, getting ready to swing again. At his third hit, the door swung open, letting the couple walk through and search the Station for the keys. Altaïr looked beside the door and pressed a button, the lights switching one almost a second later. 

“Oh.” Connor muttered, seeing the mess that his ‘maniac’ made of the place.

“What happened?” Altaïr asked, gazing down at the ripped pieces of furniture, , papers and beams on the floor.

“This is crazy–”

“We were here a few hours ago – this must have just happened!” Connor looked into the room with the controls, everything a blur behind the window.

“What the hell is going on?” Connor turned, taking a deep breath to calm himself.

“It’s gotta be the guy… the one who got to Arno and Élise… and Jacob…” He pursed his lips, worry now clear on his face.

“He’s gotta know this is the only way back.” He didn’t mean to say it out loud, but Altaïr shook his head, crossing his arms.

“Don’t say that.” He pursed his lips, looking out towards the cable car – that was far away from their location.

“Look. The cable car’s all the way out there.” Connor gestured towards it, backing off when Altaïr started walking away.

“Nice try, but we’d both be dead before one of us _tries_ to jump that far.” He walked up the short staircase, turning on the light for the small that was the size of a master bedroom. The room was even more of a mess than the outside, drawers toppled over, papers everywhere, and even the small screen was smashed.

“I think they knew exactly what they were doing… someone really did a number on this place.” He set the axe down by the door, walking towards the map behind the computer screens. He grasped the frame and lifted it until it hung loosely on the wall. It showed the entire landscape of the mountain. The station, Frye Lodge, Sanatorium, and a Fire Tower not far from their location. “Look! Fire tower!” He smiled, gaining the attention of Altaïr.

“Hey. Magellan. Maybe we should get the cable car working and take this show on the road?” Connor sighed, muttering to himself as he turned towards the controls. He quickly noticed there were no keys on the ‘Start/Stop’ button. “Great. No keys, no cable car. Sooo… back to square one.” His eyes locked with Altaïr’s, who looked at him in disbelief. 

“What about the fire tower? On the map you found?” He pointed to the map, starting to walk towards it as Connor shrugged.

“Well, I guess it’s an option.”

“It has to have a radio.”

“Probably, yeah.”

“We gotta get to that radio.”

  * **Agree**  
“We need that radio.”
  * **Disagree**  
“Let’s head back.”



“I don’t know… Alty, that could work, but I kinda think that maybe we should get back to the Lodge for now, everyone’s been split up for so long…” He trailed off, gesturing towards the outside.

“Wait. First you want to leave the Lodge, now you want to go back? You don’t want to do any more than I do, Connor, and I say that we go to the fire tower and get on the radio and call for more help.” Connor sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

“Well, if you feel that strongly about it–”

“I do, Connor! And I’m surprised you don’t too!”

“I do! I do! Really!” He nodded, Altaïr walked off, ending the argument from there. They stepped out of the small room – Connor picking up the axe – heading right towards a ladder that could be pulled down. 

“Here.” Altaïr reached towards it, giving it one mighty pull and helping it reach the ground. He then grasped the sides and stepped down, keeping himself steady for the path was narrow – they both could fall if they lean against the wall. Once he was at the bottom, he found a Heavy Duty Torch and picked it up by the handle. Turning it on, he directed it around, before walking forwards to get out of Connor’s way. Taking a deep breath, Connor stepped down the ladder, quickly growing lightheaded as he reached the bottom. This was way high up, and he didn’t want to step too fast, or too slow, in case he trips and falls. But, with it being pitch black, Altaïr couldn’t see that much. Almost a second too late, Connor grabbed Altaïr’s wrist as he reached the edge of the path, seeing nothing below him. Snow covered rocks, possibly.

“Whoa!” Connor gasped, pulling them both back to safety. “You alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine.” Altaïr gulped, continuing his way down the path and around the beam that curved to the ceiling. Connor pursed his lips, following the brunette around the beam and back on steady ground. They then ascended the stairs in silence, wanting to find shelter soon and not be out in the open. “What if it doesn’t work?” Altaïr suddenly asked, making Connor snap out of his thoughts.

“What?”

“The radio.” 

“It’ll work.” Connor stated blankly, but confident.

“But… if it doesn’t… we need a plan. The Psycho won’t give up and run away.” They ducked under a fallen tree, walking up the steep hill.

“No, he won’t. But, we should find a safe spot, hole up, wait it out. It’ll be a lot easier to figure this all out in the morning.” Connor suggested, running a hand through his mohawk. Altaïr nodded.

“As long as we don’t hide in the Lodge. That’s where he expects us to go.” Stepping onto the wooden stairs, they both nodded at each other then continued forward. Upon reaching the top, Connor found a small object just in front of a tree and walked towards it. Kneeling, he found it to be a Totem, so he picked it up and turned it around. 

_Élise opened the door, letting Arno in as the monster screeched from the warehouse. “Let me in! Let me in!” Arno breathed, limping on his good leg and slamming the door shut._

Connor gave a confused hum, setting the Totem down and standing up once again. Turning to his left, Connor saw a small shed in the distance, so he went over to investigate along with Altaïr. It was run down, broken, no one could take shelter here if they wanted to. He stepped lightly inside, seeing no doors for either entry way. But, as he reached the other side, a stray wooden plank caught his foot, and he almost tripped. “Whoa!”

“Huh?” Altaïr asked, looking down at the floor. Connor kneeled down once again, grasping the edge of the plank and lifting it to see what was underneath. Raising an eyebrow, he reached down and picked up a very cold… phone? Pressing the home screen button, he gasped in shock as it turned on. On the screen was a picture of the grinning Jacob, Evie, and Henry. “Connor, this is Henry’s phone!” Altaïr said, looking down at the screen.

“I thought the police swept the whole area…”

“Well, looks like they missed this.” Connor pocketed the phone, following Altaïr out of the shed and towards the cliff top. 

“This is the last place I’d want to be right now.” He grumbled, looking down at a broken sign. “Watch where you step around here, Alty.”

“Yes, Connor, given the choice I’d prefer not to spend my evening plummeting to my death off a snowy clifftop.” After a brief moment of not speaking, the pair turned back to continue on the path towards the radio tower, but, a loud and feminine scream could be heard, echoing throughout the mountain. “What was that?”

“I don’t know…!” Clenching the axe, Connor watched as a hoard of deer came out from the covers of the trees. All of them huffing, roaring, or scoffing. The pair was forced to stepped back, the deer surrounding them. Unless they wanted to jump off the cliff, they couldn’t think of any way to get out of the hoard.

* * *

Relaxing in the warm water, Claudia tapped the rim of the tub to the music in her earbuds. Eyes closed, lips moving, she let herself sink in to the beautiful melody. Illuminated by the candles littering the room, she sighed softly and rested her back against the cool plastic. While she was enjoying her bath, a figure silently watched her, only feet away. He knew she wouldn’t notice him unless he made a loud noise. Taking one last look at the bathing woman, he turned abruptly and gathered the pink back pack in his arms. He then turned the knob of the bathroom door, walking out and slamming the door shut. It was enough force to blow out the candles and alert Claudia from her relaxation. Taking her earbuds out, she sat up. “Hello?” She called, looking towards the door. “Guys?” With a crease of her eyebrow, she tilted her head. “What are you doing out there?” Receiving no answer, she took a deep breath and slowly stood up. “Being creepy?” Sitting at the edge, she let her bare feet hit the cold floor. She picked her white towel up and wrapped it around herself. She looked around the room confused, wondering if her friends were playing a prank on her.

## 01:11, Frye Lodge, Claudia

Holding the towel close to her, she walked over to the chair, where she thought her bag was – with her clothes. Only one fuzzy sock remained. Scoffing angrily, she called out. “Oh for Pete’s sake. My clothes? Really? Whichever one of you did this is off my Christmas list. Seriously, not cool, guys. Not cool at all.” Setting the sock down, she stepped towards the wooden door. The knob turned easily, letting Claudia open the door with ease. “Arno?” She called, walking down the hallway. “Jacob?” She then turned towards a floating object. It was a balloon with an arrow on it, pointing to the double doors that lead to the main room. She quickly felt uneasy, stepping towards the doors that seemed to lead to her death. Claudia opened the door, slowly pushing it to see if one of her friends was around the corner. There was no one. No creak of the wooden floorboards. No small giggling. Certainly no hushed whispers. She gave a confused hum, feet now cold as she padded through the large Lodge. When she continued to walk forward, the Grandfather Clock in front of her rang loudly, making Claudia jump and hold the towel close to her. “Merda!” She breathed, walking at a much more fast pace to find her clothes and her friends. “Ugh. Stupid clock.” The brunette shook her head, following the pink balloons and candles on the staircase. “Arno?” She called once again, putting her hand on the railing and walking down the stairs. “Edward? Altaïr?” Claudia scoffed, rolling her eyes. “This is really getting out of hand, va bene? It was all very funny, ha ha, look at Claudia walking around in a towel, but, now I just really want this to be over, alright?” Reaching the bottom, she turned to her left and started heading towards the lower floors. “You had enough?” Again, there was no answer, hushed whispers, creaks of the floor, nothing. “Va bene, if you were trying to freak me out, guess what, you succeeded.” She walked down the stairs, hoping they were really there instead of running outside with her clothes. Upon reaching the entrance of the Movie Room, Claudia held the towel close to her and stepped towards the cupboard where the flashlight Jacob was using earlier was. Slowly picking it up, she turned it on and directed it around her, making her none of her friends could jump out and scare her. With a angered hum, she moved towards the Movie Room, stepping wearily into the darkened room. When she found no one hiding in there, she angrily scoffed and spread her arms out. “Hey! Guys, come on! I am done with this! I really don’t appreciate the silent treatment here!” She shouted, before the double doors behind her slammed shut. “AHH!” She screamed, turning towards the now closed doors, locking her inside. Putting a hand on her heart, she took a deep breath to calm herself down, before a voice boomed from the loud speakers. 

“Hello Claudia.” The voice greeted the frightened girl, who searched the room for the being speaking. Her eyes then found the white screen, which was illuminated by the projector above. “Looking for me?” Claudia sharply turned to the screen, then to the small room with the projector. The being seemed to be watching her. “I don’t think you’ll have much look by looking, Claudia.” The brunette raised an eyebrow, breath starting to uneven. “You’re only going to see what I want you to see…” Looking from the projector to the screen, she gave a confused hum. “…And I have quite a lot to show you.” 

“What’s… what is going on?” She whispered, only for the voice to answer immediately. 

“Open your eyes.” The voice commanded, and soon she was greeted with the secretly taped video of her enjoying her peaceful bath. She gasped, putting a shaking hand on her mouth.

“Oh dio mio…” She shuddered, looking at the candles she had lit up, the windows pouring in moonlight from the outside, and her movements as she listened to the piece of orchestra music.

“She’s quite beautiful, isn’t she.” Claudia shook her head in despair, watching the screen at the scene changed from her taking a bath, to her calling out to nothing. “A beautiful bathing bird…”

“How… why…” She took short, quick breaths as she held the towel close to her. 

“… do you think she has any idea what lies ahead?” At the question, she stepped back slowly. “Do you think these were the last happy moments of this creature’s life?” The voice asked, making Claudia furrow her eyebrows and shake her head once again.

“Why are you showing this to me…?” The girl could hardly speak, feeling a lump in her throat as the discovery that someone was watching her in all her nude – a Stranger was watching her. In the video, Claudia wrapped a towel around herself, and looked around, while the real Claudia looked towards the projector once again.

“Why are you watching?” The voice snickered quietly. Then, she heard the sounds of screams ripping through the speakers, and she turned towards the screen once again. 

“Jacob!” She shouted, watching the absolute pain-stricken face of Jacob, as a saw ran through his waist. Claudia cried out, stepping back towards the double doors. “Oh, dio mio! _What did you do_?” She wiped her eyes, before the voice continued, striking fear through her.

“I’m going to give you ten seconds.” Her mouth fell agape, not knowing what’s going to happen to her when he reaches zero. “Ten.” Her steps were more stumbles now. “Nine.”

“No no nonono…” She pressed herself against the brick wall.

“Eight.” She sniffed, feeling tears in her eyes. “Seven.”

“ **Please NO** …” She screamed, before the double doors slammed open. A masked man walked in, holding a gas tank with a mask attached to it. With long, black, messy hair trailing down his shoulders. The blue mask with multiple scars on it, but his entire upper jaw, nose, and teeth were exposed. His eyes were like black pools, cracked heavily around the eyelashes. He wore blue overalls, with brown gloves covering his hands.

“Claudie.” The being taunted, stopping when he was under the entrance way. He cracked his bare neck. “Clau-die?” To her left, there was a vase she could throw, and to her right, the guest room was a perfect way to escape.

  * **THROW VASE**
  * **RUN**



Grasping her composure once again, she sprinted to the door of the guest room. She turned the cold knob with haste, running down the hallway once she got it open. “Merda! Merda merda merda!” She whispered, opening the door to the guest room, quickly shutting it when she got inside. Sharply turning, she found a bed in front of her. Underneath the bed looked like a good hiding spot, but the door on the other side of the room was wide open.

  * **JUMP**
  * **HIDE**



_‘There’s no way I’m hiding’._ She thought to herself, before shakily running towards the bed. The door behind her slammed open, and the Psycho walked in as she jumped over the bed. Once she got to the other side, she turned to see the Psycho in the place she had just been, then turned to keep running down the hallway. Holding the towel close to her body, she stopped as she arrived at the open basement door. She took careful, but quick steps down the concrete stairs. Coming to a broken stair, she jumped over it and used the wall to push herself onward. “Cazzo!” She breathed, stepping down the other flight of stairs. Her flashlight barely lit up her path as she was trying to get away from the masked Psycho. Running down the hallway, she turned to her right and let out a whimper as she almost came in contact with the wall. Taking deep breaths, she turned to her right and walked towards another door. Claudia stopped, looking to her right to see the place where Jacob and her fired up the boiler, a hiding spot that was covered by the boarded up wall. Then, ahead of her was the door to the Old Hotel, it was wide open.

  * **RUN**
  * **HIDE**



Quickly running to her right, she hid behind a large pillar holding the floor up. She could hear the Psycho’s footsteps from the hallway behind me. With a hand to her racing heart, she covered the flashlight with her shaking hand. “Claudia? Why are you hiding?” She heard the man from behind her. Lowering her breathing to a minimum, she watched out of the corner of her eyes as the Psycho looked around, as if he knew where she was hiding, and just wasn’t saying anything. “Clau-die? Why prolong the inevitable?” She pursed her lips, staying glued to her spot. Then, the Psycho moved once more, stepping down the stone hallway and beside some boxes.

  * **STAY**
  * **RUN**



With her voice caught in her throat, she crouched with a fearful look on her face. She took deep breaths, looking at the Psycho as he came into her line of vision with his back to her. “Why kid yourself into thinking you can get away?” The masked man laughed, shaking his head. “Don’t you know I can smell you, Claudia?” He tapped the mask against the tank, smoke erupting from the object. “I can smell your fear.”

  * **STAY**
  * **RUN**



She whimpered, standing up to make a run for it, but the Psycho quickly noticed her. Wrapped an arm around her neck and preparing to put the mask on her, she screamed. “No! No!” Her eyes wide, she gasped as a memory struck her. 

_Jacob laughed as he held the baseball bat in his hand. Putting it in between the metal cupboard and a beam._

Claudia’s breath hitched, feeling the mask on her nose and chin. With a struggle, she reached for the baseball bat. Wrapping her fingers around the handle, she swung it at the Psycho’s head. Claudia ripped herself away as it came into contact with him, hearing the man let out a painful yell. She then ran away into the hallway, coming across a close door – with no handle. “Are you kidding me? No _handle_!” She shook her head, stepping back. There was a large beer-case next to her, one she could pull down and block the Psycho’s path. Her only other option was to force the door open.

  * **FORCE**
  * **PULL**



Turning to the case, she reached up to the top and pulled it down with a grunt. The handle fell from the top! Claudia gasped, numbly reaching for the object as it rolled towards the door. The Psycho stepped through the beer case, his eyes on Claudia as she struggled to lift a light handle. Once she got a good grip on it, she put the rod in the handle and turned the door, just as the Psycho reached for her. Turning, Claudia slammed the door shut in the man’s face. Locking the door, she gasped as the man’s gloved hand came through the small window, reaching for the lock. “Ahh! Get out!” She screamed, grasping the handle to shut the window. Slamming it shut, she took deep breaths as she was finally alone, but still on the run. Furrowing her eyebrow, she turned to see an old door on the other side of the room. Claudia ignored the dolls, boxes, and blankets that littered the room as she stepped towards the door. Twisting the knob, she found it to be locked. Bracing herself, she banged her shoulder against the door. The door easily broke open, making her fall onto the hard floor. She groaned, holding a hand to her hurting head. “Dio mio.” Looking behind her, she found she fell a great distance, she’d have to climb the wall if she wanted to get back through that door. Claudia regained her composure, standing up once again. The now dirty towel still had a strong grip around her bare body. Directing the flashlight around the hallway, she stepped down the narrow path with haste, wanting to escape the Psycho with precise and careful movements. The hallway was very old, ripped curtains on the walls, fallen wooden planks, and water coming in from a rusted pipe. She swallowed thickly as she came across another fork in the path, looking left first. It was another hallway, one she could run down. To her right, she found another platform she could jump down, keeping herself hidden from the Psycho.

  * **RUN**
  * **HIDE**



“Oh, crap. Crap!” Turning to her right, she looked behind her as she ran towards the platform. She put a hand on the wooden beam, letting her feet hang before she jumped down, noticing she was out in the open if she stood. Crouching, she pressed herself against the brick wall. With quick fingers, she turned the flashlight off, closing her eyes as she heard the footsteps of the Psycho. She then opened her eyes, wide with terror as he stepped onto the platform. 

“Here little kitty.” He called, looking around. Her breath hitched, fearing if she made the slightest movement, he’d find her. “Here pussy pussy.” Claudia leaned to the side, hearing the Psycho drop the gas tank, and frantic footsteps as he looked around. “FUCK!” He shouted, picking up the gas tank and walking away from Claudia’s hiding place. The brunette breathed a sigh of relief, crawling down from her hiding place and disappearing from sight.

* * *

## Sixth Session

Dr. Kenway stood by the window, the room was in much better state than the last time the patient entered. Traces of the mannequin, saw, squirrel, spider, and needle were gone. It was now more calming. Red curtains draped from both sides of the window, pouring moonlight into the room. From the first session, the desk was neatly organized, pictures lined up the walls, everything was perfect. But, Dr. Kenway pursed his lips, shrugging his shoulders and gazing out the window. “Well, that certainly didn’t go according to plan, now did it?! Such careful, brilliant plotting… and yet in a crucial moment you are foiled by your own inadequacies.” He clapped, a glum look on his old face. He seemed to be concentrated on something, a small smirk coming to his face, but quickly morphed into a frown. “I _**told**_ you everything you do has _**consequences**_! Do you think this _mistake_  won’t have repercussions? What you _**do**_ ….what you _**say**_ … causes things to _**change**_! ” He nodded, gathering a folder from the windowsill and gazing down upon it. “Yes.” He muttered. “All the good work we did exploring the source of your fear…” He looked down at a picture, _the_ picture. The one he went over with his patient. The scarecrow looked eerily back at him, arms spread out to hang on the cross he’s been attached to. Running a thumb across the paper, Dr. Kenway lowered his eyebrows, looking out the window once more. “…and you’ve just gone and used it for ill.” He pursed his lips, shaking his head. “Your overwhelming fear… of failure.” He nodded, snarling. “You have turned it against these people whom you so **desperately** want to torment.” He hummed, looking down at the picture once again. “Has it been worth it?” He asked, taking the picture out of the file, and slowly raising it to see clearly in the moonlight. But, he took notice of the chair his patient usually sits in… is empty. Taking the picture down to investigate, he was suddenly surprised by the masked man. Staring back at the Doctor with his deep, black pools, he was silent as the Doctor jumped away from him.


	7. Psychosis

##  **Psychosis, Five Hours Until Dawn**

Huffing, the elk let out a huge roar, forcing the couple to back up close to the edge of the clifftop. Holding the flashlight close, Altaïr took a step back while Connor stepped closer to the brunette with his arm out. “Connor…! What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do!” 

## 02:03, Clifftop, Connor

Connor pursed his lips, just as frightened as Altaïr was. What was he going to do?

  * **Calm  
** “Stay calm, Altaïr.”
  * **Rebuke  
** “Get a hold of yourself.”



“Stay calm…” He said, letting out a small laugh as the deer slowly got closer. “…relax… they’re just deer.” He shrugged, watching their movements closely. “…just want to check us out is all.” Altaïr seemed uncertain, shaking his head.

“No, no no, Connor they’re gonna hurt us–” He breathed, looking around with fright in his brown eyes. 

“Shhh…” Connor looked over to the scared male, then back at the herd. Holding the axe close, he took a slow step forward, trying to keep both him and Altaïr calm. He quickly noticed the deer stepped to the side as he walked past them, for being aggressive when they encountered the couple, they were now calm and observing the area around them. Connor took a deep breath, keeping himself close to the middle path to get by safely and checking the brunette behind him at most times. Only, there was one elk in front of him. It wouldn’t move out of Connor’s way like the rest of them did. The elk sniffed him, taking a step forward. Connor clenched the axe.

  * **HIT DEER**
  * **BYPASS DEER**



“Just walk slow.” Connor encouraged Altaïr, walking past the herd of elk. “It’s okay.” He walked more calmly now, looking back to Altaïr when they safely made it out the herd. “Come on, it’s okay.” Looking around, Connor then ran to the boulders and jumped over them, safely making it to the other side with Altaïr in tow.

* * *

Holding a hand out, Connor helped Altaïr down the stray log. They both took a deep breath, looking at each other before the brunette stepped forward, shining the flashlight in front of him to illuminate the path.

## 02:21, Clifftop, Altaïr

They both stepped up the hill with caution, not wanting to get in another situation like that again. In the distance, they could both see the Radio Tower, meaning they were close to getting help. “If we do manage to get someone on the radio–” He started, voice caught in his throat.

“We will.” Connor stated, optimistic that they’ll get off the mountain – **alive**.

“Then, we tell them we need help.” He nodded, looking back at the curious Connor. “What do we do while we wait?” He pursed his lips, guts telling him anything would be a bad idea. If everything they found out was correct, the Psycho knew the mountain better than any of them knew now that Jacob was  _‘dead’_. They’ve never seen Élise, or even Arno break down that bad. Connor tilted his head, looking off to the side as he thought of his answer.

“We go back to the lodge and get everyone else.” He said, the brunette shook his head at the anser.

“Not the lodge… we should stay here, at the tower. In case whoever it is needs to get back in touch with us?” He suggested, keeping his eyes on the path.

“Let’s get that radio working first.” Connor sighed, looking up at the tower as they finally reach the looming building. As they got close to the stairs, a bright light suddenly turned on, blinding the two. 

“Ahh! That’s too bright!” Altaïr hissed, covering his eyes. 

“No kidding!” Connor pursed his lips, blinking to clear out the black dots in his vision. 

“What is that?” 

“It’s just a security light. Motion sensor.” Altaïr nodded, walking towards the stairs with a hand covering his eyes. Then, he accidentally kicked a small object forward, sparking his interest. Kneeling, he set the flashlight down and picked the wooden totem up. Gazing into the black space that was the butterfly, Altaïr was blinded by a vision.

_Arno looked across the table to the sobbing Élise, he let out a small cry as he placed the pistol on to the table._

The butterfly was outlined in yellow, as was the horn on either side of the totem. With a huff, Altaïr placed the totem down and picked up the flashlight once again. They continued on their way towards the stairs, shivering from the cold and wanting nothing more than to be inside the warm Lodge again. But, they both knew that wasn’t possible. The motion sensor turned off once they reached the top of the stairs, and Altaïr could finally see in front of him. The tower was run down, old, and there was a large patch next to the ladder where there wasn’t any floor at all. He set to climb the ladder first, trying to keep his mind off the rusted metal and focus on the goal of getting someone through the radio. When he reached the top, he climbed out and looked down at Connor, who was patiently waiting. Stepping towards the ladder, Connor dropped the axe onto the wooden flooring, then proceeded to start climbing. When he made sure Connor had also reached the second floor, Altaïr stepped over to the other ladder and started to climb. Then, he stopped as the wind picked up, throwing him off guard. “Ugh, why is it so windy all of a sudden?”

“We’re almost inside.” Connor called up, taking a shuddering breath before ascending up the ladder. The brunette made it to the top, looking down at Connor to make sure he was alright, before climbing the third ladder. Hopefully there wasn’t another ladder. Sighing softly, Altaïr placed his hand on the hatch that was blocking his path. He pushed it open with a grunt, looking around with the flashlight. Once he made sure no one was there, he set the flashlight on the floor and hoisted himself up, as well as Connor. He closed the hatch, locking it successfully. They both dusted themselves off, and as Altaïr started to walk around, Connor placed a hand on his shoulder. “You alright?” He asked, smiling as the brunette nodded.

“Yeah…” He whispered, patting his hand to know the gesture was appreciated. The tower had a pretty medium sized room, but it was enough to fit a locker, a table with a printer and different assortments on it. Also a table with with a small stove, and the radio. Stepping towards the radio, Altaïr pressed the button that read ‘power’. “Ah, come _on_!” He protested, pressing more buttons and turning the knob that he predicted was the channel button. “Great. No power.” He paused, looking around. “Gotta be a switch or something round here…” He muttered, grasping the handle of the flashlight once again and looking around. He stepped towards the locker, wrapping his fingers around the handle, he pulled it open. Inside, he let out a surprised gasp and looked at the taped piece of paper. 

* * *

__**MISSING  
** HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PERSON?  
EVIE FRYE 

* * *

_Evie Frye was last seen in the location of the Blackwood Pines Ski Lodge, Alberta between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Feb 2nd, 2014. She may have been in some distress._

_Identifying Clothing/Features: Evie was wearing a black top, dark jeans, and leather boots. She has a pocket watch in which she keeps very close to her, and has a tattoo of a butterfly on her right shoulder._

_Height: 170 cm (5′6)_  
Weight: 110 lbs  
Eyes: Blue  
Hair: Brown  
_Call 1-866-555-0127_  


* * *

“Sorry Evie, you’re still missing…” Altaïr sighed, closing the locker softly.

“After tonight, their disappearance is starting to make more sense.” Connor bit his lip, crossing his arms as Altaïr bypassed him. He didn’t bother checking the printer, the tower was out of power. Turning the knob to the door, Altaïr opened it, but it suddenly slammed to the wall, letting the snow and wind from outside in. With a small shiver, he stepped outside, walking along the floor. He shined the flashlight on the walls, looking for anything that could resemble a box or a power switch. But, there was a red box when he searched. ‘Emergency Flare’, it read. He opened it, and there was the flare gun. 

“Here we go.” He nodded, picking up the flare with a smug look in his eyes.

  * **Keep  
** Flare Gun
  * **Give  
** Flare Gun to Connor



Turning to the side, Altaïr held the gun firmly, looking up at the sky.

  * **Shoot**
  * **Stow**



Putting the gun in his pocket, Altaïr continued to search for the power switch. Only to find it was right beside the door. He opened the small compartment, fingers reaching inside to grasp the small lever. When he flipped it on, the lights turned on, and the radio’s buttons glowed brightly. Altaïr grinned, clapping in triumph. “Yes! Here we go!”

“Nice work.” Connor smiled, looking inside at the radio.

“Score one for Connor and Altaïr.” The pair walked inside, and Altaïr suddenly stopped at the now working printer. Pushing the green button, the printer then roared to life. Gears turning and printing words onto paper, Altaïr watched as the now finished paper slid out the printer. “Oh, it’s alive.” He muttered, extending his hand to grasp the paper. Turning the warm piece of parchment, he pursed his lips.

* * *

**_MISSING_  
** HAVE YOU SEEN THIS PERSON?  
JAYADEEP MIR  
FORMALLY KNOWN AS HENRY GREEN 

* * *

_Henry Green was last seen in the location of the Blackwood Pines Ski Lodge, Alberta between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Feb 2nd, 2014. She may have been in some distress._

_Identifying Clothing/Features: Henry was wearing a deep green padded jacket, black jeans, snow boots, and a white beanie._

_Height: 172 cm (5′8)_  
Weight: 120 ibs  
Eyes: Black  
Hair: Brown  
_Call 1-866-555-0127_

* * *

“Sorry, you’re still missing too, Henry.” Putting the paper back, Altaïr looked to the radio, which was now on. He turned on the tower, and the channel button now glowed green. It’s strength was low, so then he turned to the tuner. He turned it to the right, twice, and the needle slid all the way down, meaning the signal was now at its fullest.

“-ranger service for Blackwood County. Over.” Pushing the button to the microphone, Altaïr sighed happily.

“Hello? Anyone there? Hello!” He tried. “Please say something if you’re out there, please we need help! Over! Over!” He cursed quietly, shaking his head.

“…Hello?” The man on the radio spoke once again. 

“Oh my god! Thank god! We need help, please!” Altaïr spoke, tapping the radio to get it working.

“…Hello, is someone trying to contact us? This is the park ranger service for Blackwood County. I’m not getting your signal very well. Please speak slowly and clearly, over.” Without realizing it, Altaïr spoke again, but more quickly amd indistinctly.

“Please! Please help! Oh my god, we’re stuck on Blackwood Mountain and there’s a maniac–” 

“…If you can hear this, please repeat your message as I am unable to understand what you are saying, over.” Connor sighed heavily, putting his hands on his face and grumbling.

“We need help!” Altaïr pleaded.

“Hello? Can you please identify yourself? Over.”

  * **Persist  
** “Help us!”
  * **Comply  
** “My name is Altaïr…”



“Okay, this is… My name is Altaïr… Hello?” He asked, tuning the channel once again.

“You’re not coming through clearly, please repeat, over.”

  * **Persist  
** “We’re gonna die!”
  * **Inform  
** “We’re up on the mountain.”



“we’re on… Blackwood Mountain… by the ski lodge… there’s a killer and he’s after us and he’s already killed one of our friends. Oh god, please help, you’ve got to help us!” He begged, hoping that at least went through.

_Outside the radio tower, the wind blew more fiercely, and the snow was picking up. Then, an unknown figure skimmed past the motion sensor, turning the bright light on._

Connor rushed over to the window, looking down at the bright area. “Something tripped the motion senor. Probably just a deer.” He said. Then, the man on the radio spoke again.

“I read you, sir.” They both gasped. “Please do not leave you position. We will send out helicopters to get you as soon as the storm has subsided, over.” Connor laughed happily, while Altaïr raised an eyebrow.

“What? When? How long?” He asked, shaking his head.

“Dawn, at the earliest.” He paused, but, the two were quickly alerted to the locked hatch. Something was banging it heavily. “Not until dawn, over.”

“Holy shit!” Connor jumped back, and Altaïr stepped away from the radio. The two stayed silent while the banging continued, until it suddenly stopped. They could hear something hitting the railing of the ladder, then it was quiet. Looking at each other, the couple’s breath hitched in fright, fearing what was upon them. 

_With the wind and snow picking up, the support beams to the tower were holding fiercely. Only, one of the beams was the unknown figures selected target. With razor sharp claws, the beam was cut, and the tower shaking was the cause of it._

The couple didn’t know was what happening, but, the tower started to list to the side. Another beam was cut, and Altaïr put his hands on his head. “Connor, what is happening?” He asked, trying his best not to freak out. Then, one of the legs of the tower broke off, and everything wobbled inside.

“The tower!” Connor shouted.

“Oh god!” Then, with the force of gravity, the tower was falling to its side, and the contents of the tower fell with it.

“Shit… don’t move!” Connor then held onto a support beam, hanging on as the tower was descending from the fall. Altaïr screamed, not being able to grasp a beam quick enough and fall on the window. He was dazzed, blacking out for a minute. “No! Altaïr!” Connor called, grunting with effort. “Altaïr!” With a whimper, the brunette opened his eyes, and gasped at the black abyss that was underneath him. Slowly turned onto his back, he noticed the printer barely hanging on to the outlet it’s plugged in. When it actually fell, Altaïr rolled out of its way, the printer smashing through the window. But, Altaïr rolled back, falling through the big hole the printer made, along with the radio. The man was still talking through it, asking if they were okay. Altaïr then grasped the rusted railing, cursing loudly as he hung on. With the tower listing, it fell onto its side and Connor screamed.

“Oh shit!” He screamed. The tower then tumbled into the mines, stopping for a short bit, until the railing from the tower fell onto the snowy plain of the ground. It fell deeper, until it finally stopped and all went silent.

* * *

## 02:43, Mines, Connor

Grasping the unstable beams, Connor grunted with effort. The tower suddenly shook, he cursed loudly, steadying himself. When he felt he could climb out, Connor continued his path towards the ladder they had climbed up just minutes ago. “Dammit!” Getting a good grip on the cold object, he climbed his way up the burning tower. Once he made it to the top, Connor took a look around. “Altaïr?” He called, hoisting himself up to the platform.

“Connor!” Altaïr shouted, crouched on the broken railing and just inches away from falling deeper into the mines. “Where are you?!” He had a firm grip on the railings beside him, shaking in fright as he did his best to stay still.

“I’m coming!” Connor looked down to his feet, feeling the tower shake slightly. “I’m coming.” He said, kneeling when he got to the edge of the tower where Altaïr was below him. “This is pretty unsteady over here…” He gulped, grasping the rotting beam of the floor.

“Connor, you’ve got to do something right **now** , what are you waiting for?” The brunette reached up, trying to get Connor to reach down.

“I’m thinking! Let me think!” He creased his eyebrow, looking around to find the safest route to get to Altaïr.

“Don’t think, you idiot, just get me outta here!” Altaïr glared up at the conflicting Connor.

  * **Insulting  
** “What’s your problem?”
  * **Supportive  
** “You’re going to be fine.”



“Altaïr… you’re upset, you need to calm down, you’re gonna be fine–” He tried to reassure him, but Altaïr shook his head. 

“Ugh, stop talking, I can’t take it!” 

“Stop yelling at me and let me work this out, okay?” Connor pursed his lips, panting slightly in an effort to calm down.

“No, you stop it! Why do you question every little thing I say! I’m goddamned sick of it!” Altaïr growled, catching Connor off guard. 

  * **Sarcastic  
** “Whatever you say.”
  * **Concerned  
** “Don’t move.”



“I’m gonna try and get to you and pull you up.” Connor reassured him, pushing himself up to stand with bent knees.

“Now, will you please get me off this goddamned tower? Please please please, Connor! Just do something!” Altaïr shouted, while Connor looked down at him. Analyzing the area, Connor found a safe place to where he could jump, and hope to reach for Altaïr, but the best chance he has of getting to Altaïr is reaching down and grabbing his hands.

  * **SAVE ALTAIR**
  * **JUMP TO SAFETY**



“I’m coming.” Connor said, kneeling once again to reach down to Altaïr. He reached up, just barely touching Connor’s fingertips before the tower shook. Altaïr slipped, and was now holding himself up by the hands. 

“Shit! Oh shit! Connor!” Altaïr gasped, keeping his grip tight.

“Woah, woah… I don’t want to tip it!” Connor said, standing to keep himself steady once again. The tower was now falling more rapidly and Connor clenched his fists. Altaïr was out of his reach.

  * **SAVE ALTAIR**
  * **JUMP TO SAFETY**



“Altaïr, I’m so sorry.” He said to the brunette.

“What?” Altaïr gasped once again, before Connor jumped off the falling tower. Altaïr screamed, shooting down further into the mines while Connor landing safely on his stomach. Scrambling to get up, he fell on his hands and knees at the edge. 

“Altaïr!” He shouted, watching the flames of the tower as it disappeared down into the caverns below.

* * *

In the Lodge, Arno walked down the stairs with the flashlight he carried earlier. “She wasn’t up there?” Élise asked him, stepping back as he walked passed her. 

“I don’t know… I didn’t see her. She must have come down here.” He shrugged, giving her a sideways glance.

“I haven’t seen her either.” Élise sighed, walking with him towards the basement stairs.

## 02:03, Frye Lodge, Élise

As they walked past the dresser with different pictures, the candle is suddenly lit and Élise yelped in fright. “Ahh! Did that just happen?” She looked over to Arno, who huffed to show his anger and partial fright.

“Dammit! What is going on around here?” He hissed, waiting patiently at the top of the stairs for the red head. Élise pursed her lips, once again following Arno as they both searched for Claudia. Her mind was in shambles, everything just happened so suddenly, she cannot believe what had occurred earlier. She had to say something to Arno.

“Arno…” She said, as the man was in the process of calling their friends name.

“Cla– Oui?” He asked, walking down the long stairs towards the cinema room and the cold basement. 

“Arno, I just want to say… what happened back there in the shed…” She took a deep breath to calm her breathing, she didn’t want to break down in front of him again. “… I know how hard that was… Jacob was your friend.” Arno waved her off.

“Élise stop…” He stated firmly.

“No, I want to say – I mean thank you – thank you for saving my life–” Élise breathed out, watching Arno as he stepped into the cinema room.

“Éli… what was I gonna do? I… I couldn’t let anything happen to you… I couldn’t…” He shook his head, stopping to look at her. “Éli, are you alright?” He asked, rubbing his eyes.

“Yeah, I just… I know you and Jacob were close, Arno–” She was interrupted, walking past Arno as he took a deep breath.

“Let’s just find Claudie, oui? That’s what we’re doing now.” He muttered, turning and walking behind her.

“But, I mean, oh mon dieu–” 

“Élise! Just… stop, okay?” He lowered his eyebrows, shaking his head. “I don’t want to think about what just happened…” Élise felt her heart stop, hurt at Arno’s words.

“Arno–”

“We’re finding Claudia!” He shouted, making Élise sniff and go silent. He quickly noticed this, but didn’t say anything. Her head hung low, walking past Arno once again to go through the guest bedroom door. Once Arno walked through though, the door slammed shut behind him, and Élise yelped, turning sharply towards the door.

“Que l'estacade (what the heck)!” She breathed, turning her back to Arno as he looked forward. Stepping to the door in front of her, she turned the knob and started to open it, but it was forced shut and she took a step back.

“This is so effed up.” Arno muttered, locking eyes with Élise when she slowly looked back at him with big eyes. Then, she went on her way, walking down the narrow hallway. Then, the door at the end of the hallway opened by itself, causing the red head to let out another yelp of fright. Arno was surprisingly quiet, Élise paid him no mind though, and stepped through the door. Peeking around the corner, Élise suddenly saw a slightly feminine figure in a white dress walking down the darkened hallway and disappearing through an open door. She let out a surprised gasp, stepping backwards only to bump into the equally frightened Arno. 

“Wait a minute. Did you just see that?” She pointed her flashlight to the hallway, stepping forwards while Arno gave a confused hum.

“Uhh… Did I see what?” He asked.

“ **That** , Arno. **That**.” She clenched her teeth, taking deep breaths.

“What ‘that’ was that?”

“It was like… a see through shape. Like a ghost.” Arno rolled his eyes are her words.

“Oh boy.” Élise ran her hand through her hair, taking her beanie off before putting it back on.

“I’m serious.” She stated. “Why don’t you believe me? I said I saw it, doesn’t that count for anything?” Looking at him with wide eyes, she put her hands on her cheeks. Arno looked down at her, extending an arm towards her.

“We’ve been through Hell tonight. Okay?” He raised an eyebrow, stepping over to get Élise to look him in the eyes when she turned away from him. “Your mind is fried, my mind is fried. I don’t even trust what I’ve been seeing.” He explained, trying to get some sort of reaction from the scared girl.

  * **Insist  
** “I saw a ghost!”
  * **Concede  
** “I don’t know what I saw.”



“No! You are wrong. I saw it, and I am sure, Arno!” She clenched the flashlight, standing her ground under his somewhat blank stare. He hesitated in his next words, but he nodded.

“Alright alright. Maybe… it’s… maybe you did see something.” He muttered, rolling down the sleeves of his sweater. “Let’s just keep our heads.” He suggested.

“Are we going crazy down here?” Élise gave Arno a pleading look, and he winced at her stare.

“It’s the only place left Claudia could be, Éli.” He nodded, the corners of his lips turning down at his crush’s defeated look.

“I wish we could just go find everyone else, and–” The brunette interrupted her, spreading his arms out.

“What is Claudia needs us? What if she’s in trouble?” He asked, Élise then sniffed, putting a hand on her watery eyes.

“Oh dieu…” A sudden creaking down caught their attention. The door to the basement opened just a tiny bit, before opening all the way.

“Let’s go.” Arno said, walking past the conflicting Élise and going down the stone stairs. The red head sighed, following after Arno. She was hurt by his words, and felt utter betrayal by how blunt he was being… but she knew he was right. Once they reached the hallway to the wide basement, they stopped as a loud noise echoed through the basement. Arno then stepped forward, but let out a small shout as a large object flew from the now opened cupboard. He covered his head, taking staggering steps forward. If he had been any closer he would’ve been hit. “Whoa, whoa whoa whoa, **you’ve got to be kidding me**!” He shouted, shaking his head in a mixture of anger and fright.

“What the **hell** is going **on**!” Élise shouted, then turned to see a toy horse suddenly rock back and forth. “Oh!” She let out a high pitched shout, hands flying beside her head as the horse slowed rocked. “That scared me!” She covered her mouth, turning to look at Arno.

“You knocked into it right? You knocked into it?”

“I don’t- I don’t think so… I mean, I don’t know!” She shook her head, running a shaking hand through her hair. “How did everything get so freaky around here? Doors slamming and candles lighting up out of nowhere and that specter or whatever it was–”

“Élise, I think you’re kind of ignoring what’s really happening here–” Arno bit his lip, stopping by the giant support beam.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t see that translucent white figure just passing right by us?”

“We– we could be seeing things…”

“I’m not imagining things.” She stated firmly, clenching the flashlight by her side with narrowed eyes.

“Yeah, well I saw things too!” Arno suddenly called after her as she walked towards the boiler controls. “I saw what happened to Jacob in the shed! You know? And that’s what I’m worried about!” Élise stayed silent, letting Arno rant. “You know what I’m really worried about? Okay? I’m worried about Claudia! What’s happened to her?” He shrugged, turning his back to Élise. “If there’s some maniac out here then she could be dead too!”

“Ne dis pas ça! Veuillez, Arno! (Don’t say that! Please Arno!)” The brunette then dug his phone out of his pocket. Élise stepped over, about to investigate the hallway, when the ‘ghost’ from before is seen walking near the vent, then disappearing behind the left beam. “Wait! Arno! The ghost!” She shouted, pointing to where she saw her.

“What?” He whispered, spinning around with the screen of his phone illuminating his confused face.

“Didn’t you see it?” Arno shook his head, licking his lips as he took a step forward.

“You were looking at your phone, you dip! What are you tweeting? ‘Hashtag, there’s a freaking ghost after us?’!” Arno sighed, turning to try and comfort the frightened girl.

“Éli, calm down, okay? There is no ghost here. Ghost of what?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re freaked out because of what happened with Jacob–”

“You’re not paying attention!” She stepped back. “I saw it. I saw a ghost and it looked like Evie! It looked like Evie!” Her voice grew more distorted, wiping tears away from her watery eyes.

“Wait wait wait, what?” She’s overreacting, Arno thought. “What do you think she followed us up here from the seance?” 

“I don’t know!” She yelled, putting her hands on her head.

“She didn’t! Because ghosts don’t exist, okay?” Sharply turning towards Arno, she gasped.

“Okay, who was talking to us at the seance, Arno?” Élise asked, looking up at him. The man fell silent, shrugging his shoulders pitifully.

“I don’t know.” He muttered, putting his phone away. Then, a feminine scream made the two turn towards the hallway where Élise saw the ghost. It was silent now, the scream echoing throughout the basement. A frame then flew off the wall, Élise jumping back as it made impact with the floor. 

“What did that?” She took a deep breath, walking past Arno to take a closer look. With the picture frame on the ground, Élise looked to the source and found a key hanging on a small hook. The bow was shaped into a heart, darkened lines trailing around it like a carousal. Unhooking it, she turned to Arno with a smile. “Huh. Here you go.” She said, before turning her head. The figure appeared once again, this time where they had formally been. “Oh mon dieu! There– look there!” She hit his arm, making him turn his head to see the ghost walking away. “Arno, you can’t tell me you didn’t see that!” She hit his arm once again.

“Wow, that’s…” He started, puffing out his cheeks.

“See! You do see it!” Pointing to where the ghost was, she looked very unsure of continuing towards the ghost.

“This is crazy…” Arno trailed off, before sprinting after the ghost. Following after him, she watched his every move as he stopped near one of the support beams.

“Arno, it’s showing us the way!” Looking left and right, Élise placed a hand on Arno’s arm as he looked towards a dollhouse. They didn’t even realize it was there. “This is unbelievable. I feel like the ghost wanted us to see this.” Arno gulped thickly the both of them stepping towards it. “Look, Arno!” She peeked into the windows, wide blue eyes gazing in curiously. 

“See what? Tiny furniture?” He huffed, while Élise looked around. 

“No, it’s a whole scene, with dolls and everything!”

“…oui…?” Leaning back, Élise reached for the tiny window on the third floor of the dollhouse. Turning it to the side, she found a little keyhole. 

“And look, this little key?” Taking the key out, she put it in and turned. “What’d I tell you? The ghost is helping us!” She heard a click, then the side of the house opened just a bit. Élise opened it without a second thought and the pair looked in. They both gasped, Élise’s hands flying to her mouth while Arno shook his head. 

“Whoa, whoa whoa– what is going on here?” Blinking once, he squinted his eyes just a bit, while Élise put her hands down.

“Oh dieu! It’s like–”

“It’s not _like_ anything. That’s us. You all hiding there while Jacob and I were passed out in the kitchen. Last year.” The dolls were in the right place, Altaïr, Ezio and Élise sitting down. Connor filming while Edward stood, and Evie by the opened door. On the second floor, bottles lined the small table, Jacob and Arno passed out on the couch.

“But… it’s so accurate. I mean, that’s exactly where I was sitting… and that’s where Connor was…” Arno shook his head once again, gesturing towards the ‘prank’.

“This was setup by someone. Who was there.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Or someone, or something that was watching us…” The girl trailed off, too shocked to say anything else.

“Maybe it’s a warning. I think someone… I think someone put this here to mess with us.” He pursed his lips, giving Élise a sideways glance when she took a deep breath.

“No, it has to be the ghost, it’s trying to tell us the maniac killed Evie and Henry!” 

“I think it’s this bastard, and he’s… he’s just trying to fuck with our heads.” The pair paused, looking at each other, then back at the dollhouse.

“Why would he set this all up, Arno?” Putting a hand over her forehead, she bit her lip.

“He’s trying to tell us he’s going to come after us all too.” Just after he said that, the doll that resembled Evie’s suddenly moved, its head turning to the side and eyes snapping open. “Ah!” They yelped, leaning back from the scene to see the roof to the house opening slowly, but surely. Reaching in, Élise grasped a book with her shaking fingers and pulled it out. It had a dark blue cover with yellow flower adorning the cover. The bottom had the years 2013-2014. Élise recognized this as Evie’s diary that Jacob gave her for Christmas two years ago. 

“It’s… it’s Evie’s diary…” She whispered, opening the cover to see a page labeled ‘January 9th, 2014′. 

 _‘Dad finally agreed. The invitations are out! The part is gonna happen! I hate that I have to wait. D: < So far, Éli, Connor + Claudie have said definitely yes. Nothing from Edward…’ _She turned the page, grasping the edge of it carefully. _‘O.M.G!! Edward confirmed!! He phoned Jacob this afternoon :D’_ Her handwriting was incredibly neat, written in cursive as always. Turning the page, she bit her bottom lip.  _‘February 1st, 2014. Woohoo! **PARTY TIME** tomorrow! Everyone being here together on the mountain is gonna be **SO AWESOME** , cozy fires and hot tubs and OMG **EDWARD** , I am so psyched to spend some time with him! Totally got to stop obsessing but I can’t help it – and don’t want to :)’_ Élise repeated the words aloud for Arno to hear, tearing up.

“I can’t read this! It’s so sad, Arno…” She sniffed, turning the pages backwards until she came upon the first page of the book, reading over the words. “This was… before, a couple months before we all came up…” 

 _‘October 29th, 2013, I really think Jacob is doing better now that he’s out of the hospital. I saw him today and he seemed better. He’s pretty upbeat, but he talked like he’s been doing therapy for such a long time. I guess I didn’t know. Dad never let on. Funny how you can not even know your own brother. I kinda need a good cry thinking about how lonely he must feel…’_ Closing the book, Élise placed it back on the dollhouse, grabbing her flashlight once again. 

* * *

Stopping in the hallway of the Old Hotel, Élise closed her eyes, then reopened them as she faced Arno. “I don’t think I can take any more of this.” She muttered, stomach churning with nervousness. Arno nodded at her words, shoulders slacking.

“Yeah, I’m about at my limit here too.” Pursing his lips, he crossed his arms, putting his weight on one leg.

“All I wanted to do was forget last year ever happened…” She shook her head, eyebrows raising in worry. Arno shrugged, his head tilted down.

“To be honest, I’m not sure what Evie thought she was doing.” Looking off to the side, Élise sucked her teeth.

“Oui… well… you know how it is when you’re crushing pretty hard on somebody…”

“Super, so you’re saying that we put a vulnerable friend in a terrible situation and essentially caused her to run away and never be heard from again?” He asked. Élise rubbed her arms, gazing up at him with uncertainty.

  * **Dismissive  
** “Evie overreacted.”
  * **Sympathetic  
** “We made her look stupid.”



“If it was you, don’t you think you would have run away? I mean, who likes being made fun of?” Looking up at him, she sighed nasally. Arching his eyebrows, Arno looked down with a glum expression.

“People don’t make fun of me.” He said.

“To your face.” Élise said without hesitation, to which Arno winced at.

“What?”

“Arno, we made her look so stupid, in front of all her friends and the guy she likes. I can’t imagine doing anything worse to somebody.” Arno didn’t respond, reluctantly looking away before walking down the old hallway. She found a decaying room with beams barely holding and the tilted floor cracked with use and age. She walked into it, searching the room for any clues as to where Claudia might have gone. But, she found a package near one of the decaying beams. Kneeling, he grasped the label and pulled it open.

 _‘18th August, 2014_  
**Return Address:**  
Quality Copy Ltd.  
2100 – Clarke Ave. SW,  
Edmonton,   
Alberta,  
76N 8J5.’

“Hey. These… are these fake? Why would anyone make fake newspapers?” She asked, standing up and walking back to Arno.

“That’s… a really good question.” He huffed, watching Élise as she walked past him. Coming upon another set of stairs, she hesitated, crossing her arms.

“You know what? No.” She stated firmly.

“Éli–” Arno started, walking towards her.

“No! I’ve had enough! I’m not going down any further into this nightmare, Arno!” She gestured to the stairs, taking a step back. Arno licked his lips, facing Élise.

“Élise… I understand, okay? I’m really freaked out too. But if Claudia’s down there all alone with a maniac… and we leave?” She looked away for a split second, then Arno caught her attention. “We’re basically killing her ourselves.” He looked down the darkened stairs, while Élise bit her lip.

  * **Reluctant  
** “I’m really scared.”
  * **Courageous  
** “Let’s find Claudia.”



Running a hand through her hair, she sighed. “Goddammit.”

“Élise, come on.”

“Why are you always right?” Pursing her lips, she turned to the stairs.

“I’m not always right.” He put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze in reassurance. 

“Well, when you’re right… you’re right.” He shook his head, taking a step forward.

“I don’t want to be, I want to leave.”

“No… we’ve gotta find Claudia. Let’s go.”

* * *

The pair then approach a door smeared with blood. “Oh crap–” Arno said, walking towards it. “–look at that.” Élise looked closer, watching Arno as he stepped over it.

“Blood?” She asked, shocked.

“Might be Claudia’s.” He then stepped towards the door. “Lets see if I can get this.” Grabbing the handle, Arno then slowly pull it open, grunting with effort. “Urgh… Got it… but…” He groaned, pushing it open so they both could fit through. “Damn this thing is heavy–” 

“Be careful!” Élise warned him. 

“You gotta come through, Éli. I can’t hold it… Ungh… come on…” Élise then looked to her right and saw a figure moving behind the wooden planks boarding up the wall.

“Oh! Arno!” She called.

“What?” He grunted.

“I think I just saw Claudia over there!” She looked over to him.

“Éli… are you **sure**?”

“I don’t know, but come on. I think we should check it out.” 

“Well, I’m pretty sure whoever’s bleeding came through here, okay? So we really gotta get moving like now.”

  * **Follow Arno**
  * **Investigate Movement**



“Okay, yeah, you’re right. I’m coming.” She said, stepping through the door Arno was holding. Arno then let it shut with a bang, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves.y

“Oh Dieu merci (thank god)… I thought this thing was going to crush me… come on.” He said, letting Élise take the lead. Slowly walking into a room that is colder than outside, they gasped at the different assortment of hooks and dead pigs hanging from the ceiling. “Look like some sort of slaughterhouse…” Arno gulped thickly, looking at the back of Élise’s head as she shivered and walked past them. Putting her hand on the rusted green door, she slowly opened it. 

“Please no!” They suddenly hear the voice of Claudia shouting. 

“Claudia?” Élise called, stepping into the dark hallway while taking shuddering breaths. Arno closed the door behind them, following Élise as she walked towards the double doors. Opening it, Élise stepped in carefully, gasping when she saw a figure in a wheely chair. “Oh, Arno. Oh no.” She walked at a rapid pace towards the chair.

“Hello?” Arno asked.

“Claudia?” Letting Arno take her flashlight, she spun the chair around.

“Claudia!” Élise started, but Claudia wasn’t in the chair. There was a dummy in the clothes she wore when she got here. “I don’t… I don’t get it.”

“Merda! It’s a dummy. Why is it dressed up like Claudia?” Arno swore, the clown mask on the dummy creeping him out. 

“Arno, I don’t know!” Élise’s stomach fluttered with fear. Claudia could still be out there!

“Where the hell is Claudia?”

“This is crazy, this is crazy!” Just then, an arm reached over Arno’s head and grabbed him by his long hair. The brunette let out a shout, the now revealed Psycho putting a gas mask over his mouth and slowly lowering the knocked out Arno to the ground. “ARNO! OH SHIT!” Élise screamed, on her hands and knees as she scrambled for the dropped flashlight. Once she found it, the Psycho was already reaching for her and grabbed her by the shoulder. “Argh! No! Get off!!” She protested, grabbing him by the arm to try and pry him off her. The Psycho stuck the mask to her face, letting her struggle for the more she struggled the more she breathed the gas in. The pair was successfully knocked out, and the Psycho laughed menacingly.

* * *

Groaning softly, Arno shook his head as he woke up. “Oh shit… oh crap…” He whispered, bringing his arms up to try and clear his head, but, one of his arms was tied to a wooden chair, and the other was not. Opening his eyes, the brunette looked around. He was stuck in his situation again. Turned over chairs was at every corner of the cold room, chains hung fro the ceiling, and Élise was at the other side of the table. There was a camera watching them, and a pistol clear as day laying in front of Arno. “Éli?” He asked, the red head letting out a weak whimper. “ÉLI!” He exclaimed, the girl raising her head this time. Cursing quietly, Arno looked around. “I’m gonna murder his fucking face off.” He hissed, eyebrows raising in concern as Élise looked around with fright clear on her face. He tried for his restraints, looking over to Élise when they didn’t budge.

“What is this…?” She whispered, hanging her head low. She was tired, he noticed, Arno was as well. Tired of this Psycho messing with their heads. Tired of seeing his crush hurt. Tired of getting caught up in these situations all for someones entertainment. 

“This is him. This is the guy who killed Jacob–” He started, squinting his eyes to try and look for the masked man.

“No, Arno…” She then realized that her arms were tied to the chair, shaking her head fearfully. “Oh my god, no! Oh god… Arno!” She cried, trying to get free.

“You murdering piece of shit!” Arno shouted. “You **monster**!” 

“Look around!” Élise shouted, catching the attention of Arno. “We’re gonna die, Arno – I don’t think I’m ready to die…” Her voice lowered to a mutter, and Arno held out a hand to her.

“No-one is going to die.” He offered encouragement, his chest caving in as Élise gave him a pitiful look.

“I wish I could tell you… it’s just not fair!” She shook, looking down at the floor. Arno raised an eyebrow, confused.

“What…? Tell me what?” He tilted his head. Élise looked over to him, shaking her head as profound tears rolled down her red stained cheeks.

“It’s too late! Arno, what’s the point?” Pursing her lips, she winced as Arno brought a hand up to try and comfort her. 

“Stop it, just say…” He paused, not knowing what to say. What was there to say?

“We’re always talking around it, and now, I mean, we’ve wasted everything!” She sniffed, making the room go silent. Arno blinked, licking his lips before speaking her full name. 

“Élise de la Serre, none of it was wasted.” He said, feeling his heart beating at a rapid pace.

“What do you mean?” She asked, leaning forward.

“Every second I spent with you, was the only thing I ever wanted to do with my time.” He confessed, brown orbs looking into her blue ones. She turned away, looking down to the stone ground.

“What are you saying, Arno?” He sniffed, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry… I should have told you how I felt.” He muttered, looking down at his feet. Élise gazed over to him again, leaning back in her chair.

“Arno…!” Her voice caught in her throat, shoulders shaking as more tears rolled down her face.

“Élise, I swear, when we get out of this–” He was interrupted by the saws above. They roared to life, starting their slow descent towards the two. “Oh dieu!”

“AHH!!” Élise screamed, trying her best to lower herself and out of the way of the saws. “No! Help, Arno!” She cried.

“Élise – I’ll get you out of this! I won’t let you die!” He tried for the restraints again, with more muscle to try and save them both. 

“Hello there my special little subjects.” A voice from the loudspeakers said in a teasing manner. 

“Aw shit.” Arno cursed, looking over to the red head.

“I’m so scared, Arno–” The man shook his head, biting his lip.

“Don’t be scared–”

“Oh, you should be, Éli, because here’s the twist: Arno has made one fatal choice already today…” Élise whimpered, looking up at the saws.

“Oh no… no…”

“…and now, he must make another.” Pursing his lips, Arno picked up the gun in front of him. Worry spread across his face. Knowing what was coming next. “Arno… you can take that gun in front of you and shoot Élise, or you can shoot yourself.” He shook his head, looking across once more. “Whoever is left, can live! The choice is yours.” With a determined hum, Arno aimed the gun at the saw and shot twice, making the Psycho laugh. “Don’t be so silly, Arno.”

## 03:11, Old Hotel, Arno

Whimpering, Arno lowered his arm and shifted in his seat. He wasn’t prepared for this, he **doesn’t want** to do this. But, he knows what his decision is. 

  * **Aim At Élise**
  * **Aim At Yourself**



Gripping the handle of the gun, Arno brought the gun closer, aiming it below his jaw. Élise gasped, shaking her head.

“Wait stop, you can’t do it Arno, it should be me.” She pleaded with him, wanting them both to survive as much as possible, but she wanted him to survive. If it meant killing her, so be it. “You chose to save me before, let me choose this time… let me choose to save you” Arno’s fingers shook, taking deep breaths as Élise begged him not to shoot himself. “If I do one last thing in my life, let me do this!” She sniffed. “Arno, please. Oh dieu…” Arno then brought the gun away from himself. But, he was not convinced. Élise must survive. 

  * **SHOOT ÉLISE**
  * **SHOOT YOURSELF**



Aiming the gun at himself again, his finger on the trigger, Arno took one last deep breath.

“Élise, je suis tellement désolé.” Arno sniffed, squeezing his eyes shut.

“NO!!” He heard Élise shout, before he pulled the trigger, a loud gunshot echoing throughout the basement.

* * *

## Seventh Session

Dr. Kenway paced angrily in front of the masked man, shaking his head. “Don’t you see? Huh?” He said through clenched teeth, looking at the man before the ceiling. “Don’t you see that this… **torture porn** has gone too far?” He clenched both sides of his head, then spreading them out. He stopped behind his chair, pointing an accusing finger at the Psycho. “Now what gives you the right to play god in these people’s lives?” He shook his head, slapping his hands on his hips. “What makes you so special then?” He asked. Receiving no answer, Dr. Kenway turned and slowly stalked towards the monitors that was watching the Lodge. He couldn’t believe his eyes, sharply turning towards the man. “You’re **SICK**!” He hissed, glaring at him. “You’re a sick fuck!” Turning back towards the computer screens, he stepped back, gesturing towards the cameras. “Now, what the hell have you done to them? Huh?” His finger shook at he pointed them towards the monitor where Arno and Élise sat. Arno had the gun under his chin and Élise was screaming fearfully at the saws. “What the hell have you done to them, you psychopath?” The man stood eerily, clenching his fists at his sides as Dr. Kenway turned fully towards him. “Psychopath!” 


	8. Loss

##  **Loss, Four Hours Until Dawn**

Grunting with effort, Claudia crawled her way through the dusty vent. In front of her, the vent cover blocked her way. Taking a deep breath, she shined the flashlight around the unknown room in search for any sign of the Psycho. When she found nothing, she adjusted herself so she could extend her legs in front of her. Kicking the cover three times, it fell off with a small creak, making the girl purse her lips and crawl the rest of the way through. It wasn’t a long fall as she hoped, looking around the somewhat dark basement with her flashlight.

## 03:05, Frye Lodge Basement, Claudia

Looking behind her, Claudia found two posters – one nailed to some boards and the other on top with a bloody hand print on it’s bottom right corner. Lifting the poster, Claudia gasped softly at the different drawings on the poster. It looked like a plan… a plan that looked exactly like the trap Jacob was killed on. But, looking more closely, the place where ‘Jacob’ was cut by the saw.  _‘Pig Intestines, 1.5L of Pig Blood’_. _Is it fake…?_  “This is… this can’t be right–” Claudia whispered, shaking her head. Stepping back, Claudia turned and walked further into what she guessed to be the Psycho’s workshop, and he seemed to be focused on the Frye Family. Arriving at a wooden desk, she opened a drawer and found a file, one she took out without any hesitation. 

* * *

_Ocean View Hospital  
Health and Happiness_

_Jacob Frye_

_Final Psychiatric Evaluation_

_5/21/14_

_Dr. H. E. Kenway_

_**CONFIDENTIAL** _

* * *

Claudia turned the page. “Wha–” She gasped the sight of the multiple physicians on the papers.

* * *

_Physician History_

_6/11/2006_  
William Johnson, MD  
Whale Point Surgery  
Referred on 04/02/2007 after incident at school

 _04/26/2007_  
Achilles Davenport, MD, MPH  
Pastoral Wellbeing Center  
Referred on 10/19/2009 after incident at school

 _10/23/2009_  
Hope Jensen, MD  
Santa Buena Medical Center  
Referred on 12/09/2008 after disagreement over treatment

 _01/03/2010_  
Pearl Attaway, MD, PhD  
Cranleigh Hospital  
Referred on 11/29/2013 after patient’s response to drugs tapered badly

 _12/19/2013-Present_  
Haytham Kenway, MD, MPH  
South-Western Psychiatry  
Referred on 3/14/2014 due to potential suicide risk

* * *

_History of Prescribed Antidepressants_

_**Fluoxetine (06/18/2006 - 01/24/2010)** _

_Patient reported that side-effects (headaches, nausea) were becoming too severe, and wanted to change drug._

_**Duloxetine (02/13/2010 - 11/01/2013)** _

_Patient claimed that the drug was no longer having any effect. Reported that his mood had badly worsened._

_**Amitriptyline (11/29/2013 - 04/05/2014)** _

_Patient began self-medicating, taking stronger doses._

_**Phenelzine (04/15/2014 - present)** _

_30mg dose. Twice daily, increasing to three times daily after 2 weeks._

_If the patient reports any of the following symptoms, please contact a physician IMMEDIATELY._

_Side effects: hypotension, blurred vision, dizziness, insomnia, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle tremors, liver damage (hepatitis)_

_On withdrawal: nausea, insomnia, nightmares, agitation, hallucinations, paranoia, aggressiveness, slurred speech, ataxia, catatonia, shocks_

* * *

_Summary of Treatment_

_Patient arrived delirious/confused. Strong symptoms of major depressive disorder, related to death/disappearance of sister._

_Placed patient under observation._

_ECT was considered, given patient’s history of tapering drug effects, but rejected._

_CBT, IPT, psychoanalysis, etc, failed to produce any improvement._

_New course of drugs was necessary._

_Patient moved onto a non-selective MAOI. Rationale being that SSRIs and SNRIs have proven ineffective in the past._

_Phenelzine 60mg initially. Higher than average dose was necessary to see reduction of symptoms._

_After 2 weeks, patient’s symptoms and mood were greatly improved._

_Discharged on 16th May after final consultation proved satisfactory._

_Dr. Haytham Kenway_

_Invoice_

_OCEAN VIEW HOSPITAL_

_DATE: 05/16/2014_

_INVOICE #5132_

_1 Pinnacle Drive_  
Pacific Road  
CA 90187

 _SHIP TO_  
Frye Pictures Incorporated  
Valley Town  
Burbank  
CA 90321

 _TOTAL: 26250.24_  
PAYMENTS/CREDITS: 0.00  
BALANCE DUE: $26250.24

* * *

Closing the file, Claudia backed away from it cautiously. “Jacob… has been getting all this medical treatment, even before Henry and Evie disappeared?” She whispered to herself, turning around to search the cabinets for anything that could help her with Jacob. Inspecting a shelf, she found his cellphone. “The Psycho might have taken his stuff when he died…” Turning it on, she swiped her finger across the screen and the screen illuminated her face in white. These were text messages, all from someone named Dr. Hill.

* * *

_Tue, Jan 13, 9:47 AM_

_Hi Jacob, it’s Haytham. I hope you don’t mind me texting you, but this is important. I got your email. I don’t think that you plan is going to help. I think you need to stop what you’re doing and come to see me.  
Please, pick up your phone. I’m getting worried._

_LEAVE ME ALONE_

_Are you still taking your meds?_

_im fine_

_It’s very dangerous to stop taking your drugs mid course Jacob.  
__Contact my office to make an appointment, please.  
__Jacob?_  
Jacob, please respond.

* * *

“What was that about…?” Claudia pursed her lips, setting his phone down. She needed to get going in case the Psycho came back. She walked down the different hallways that made up the basement, peeking around corners and checking behind her so she could calm her fear of something following her. She stepped down the stone stairs, being careful of the ruined stair that could potentially make her trip and fall. Finding a door in front of her, she peeked through the small opening. Putting a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp, she turned her flashlight out. There was the Psycho, in his lab of cameras. The area he was in was blocked off by a gate. He stepped back from the monitors that were connected to cameras around the Lodge. He crossed his arms, giving the screen a nod before stalking off, leaving Claudia to continue her search for a way out. No later than that, she found green double doors and opened one with uncertainty. Looking in, she found what looked like to be the door where the Psycho would’ve put Claudia if she let herself be captured. A steel cabinet was tipped over, being held up by large pieces of stone, covering the other side almost entirely. There was a video camera, pointing to a chair with a dummy sitting on it – in her clothes. “Hm… Jesus…” She whispered, turning towards the wooden door with her pink back pack hanging on the doorknob. But, as she passed the vent to get to it, she felt a hand grab her ankle. She let out a small shout, jumping back from the hand, only to be hushed gently by a familiar voice. “Edward?” She asked, kneeling down to shine the flashlight into the vent. “What are you doing down there? There’s a g–” She paused, knowing just how long she’d been without one of the faces of her friends. “Oh Edward, thank God you found me.” She sighed happily, putting the flashlight down.

“It’s okay. You’re okay.” He nodded, putting his fingers around the bars that separated them. 

  * **Concerned  
** “…where’s Ezio?”
  * **Curious  
** “How’d you get down here?”



“I don’t understand… how did you get here? How did you find me?” She asked, furrowing her eyebrows to show she was confused. 

“There’s some damned maniac up here on the mountain–”

“Yeah, I’ve noticed.” Claudia interrupted him with a blank look, making him pause.

“He lives in this like, web of tunnels… I was down there trying to get out and then I found this grate and saw you.” He said, looking around. 

“Listen, this guy who you’re talking about… he attacked me. He showed me these videos, too, and one of them showed Jacob being killed… just… ripped apart by this huge sawblade…”

“Jaysus!” Edward shook his head. 

“And Edward, I think somehow Jacob is involved in all of this…” 

“Wait, what? How?” He asked, leaning his weight on the wall. 

“I’m… really not sure, but there was a message from his doctor, and… it mentioned a plan that was a bad idea and now he’s dead.” She took a deep breath, watching Edward as he looked away and lowered his eyebrows.

“What the fuck is going on around here…” He muttered, then he looked back to the waiting Claudia. “There’s a door here, it won’t open. Can you unlock it from your side?” She nodded, standing and grabbing her back pack to leave. Opening the door, it opened with a loud ‘creak’. She walked down the stairs, wanting to reunite with Edward more than ever now that they found each other. Putting her hands on the plank that blocked the door from opening, she lifted it from the handles and set it to the side, opening the door to be greeted by a smiling Edward. “Hey…” He said, stepping back from the stairs as Claudia stepped towards him.

“Jeez. You look like hell.” She whispered, noticing the dirty green jacket he was now wearing, and how smudged with dirt he was. 

“Nice to see you too.” Claudia stepped past him, making him watch her as she went behind a cabinet. “What are you doing?” He asked as she put her back pack down. 

“Well actually, the towel didn’t turn out to be the best outfit for fighting off killer maniacs, you know?” Edward was confused, until she made a circle motion with her finger. “Do you mind? Edward?” Puffing out his cheeks, he turned around, crossing his arms.

“Oh. Right. My bad.” He apologized, letting her change. When she did, she put her bag down at the cabinet, now that there wasn’t anything in it, she didn’t need it anymore. 

“Va bene. Let’s put this thing to bed.”

“Amen to that.” Edward nodded, walking up the stairs towards the rusted door.

“Please!”

“I can’t! I can’t decide!” They both stopped at the door, recognizing the cries of Élise and Arno. 

“Is that crying?” Edward asked, before they braced their shoulders against the door. Giving it one strong push, the pair forced it open. It was dark, but the lights quickly turned on, letting Arno and Élise look around from their tied up positions. The Psycho approached them, head tilted down. 

“Noo! No no no! Get away!” Élise cried, before Arno pointed the pistol at the Psycho and shot three times. The man spread his arms, looking down at his chest to see no bullets had pierced his skin.

“Oh Arno… Oh, Arno, Arno, Arno, Arno.” He shook his head, walking towards the confused pair.

“What the fuck?” Arno asked, shocked. 

“You’ve heard of blanks before? I mean, really?” The Psycho snickered, before reaching up and grasping the edges of his mask. Slowly taking it off, he reveals to the group to be… the alive, Jacob Frye! A grin spread across his face, looking over to Arno with pure smugness in his eyes.

* * *

Coming to, Altaïr slowly opened his eyes and gazed into the black abyss that was the mines. His mouth fell agape, he was hanging upside down by one of the wires that had been cut. It was wrapped around his ankle, one wrong move could send him falling deeper into the mines. Covering his mouth, he took a deep breath to calm his breathing. “Oh God!” He gasped, trying to look up to get any sight of Connor. “Oh my god! Connor? Connor!” He called, finding the source of why he hasn’t plummeted to his death. Looking behind him, he found the broken ladder. One he could swing to if he tried. Using his arms, he started to swing back and forth, being careful of the beam so it doesn’t break off. But, it did, and he barely clenched the cold bars of the ladder. “Jesus…” He groaned, monkey barring his way towards the safety of the cave. His arms left like lead, being upside down for so long. He eventually lost his grip, and fell onto the ledge below him. Groaning, he slowly sat up as the tower above him started to make itself known. It started to descend once again, gravity pushing down on it. A rock fell, hitting Altaïr in the right shin. He let out a small yelp of pain, crawling back to avoid any further damage from the falling tower. Then, it finally fell deeper into the mines, and he breathed a sigh of relief as he didn’t have to worry about it anymore. With a hand on the wall, he slowly stood, trying to avoid putting pressure on his right leg where the wound was. “Ugh.” Looking around, he found a thick stick, along with a barrel full of gas and an unmovable torch. Ripping off the top under his jacket, he grabbed the stick and wrapped the top around it. He dipped it in the gas, then held it over the fire, where he made a makeshift torch. “Alright. Now we’re talking.” He smirked, turning towards the caves to begin finding a way out of there.

## 03:00, Mines, Altaïr

“Connor!” Altaïr called once again, gripping the torch in his hands and walking through the caves. But, as he walked through, he finally found light from the outside and he ran towards it. “Yes!” He whispered, looking up the incredibly steep wall. He started to climb it, but it proved no use, it’s too steep for him to climb. He released a sigh, turning back to the partly snowy area. He decided to search around, see if there was any way out and back to the Lodge. He had found the other half of the sign on the cliff. “Lovely. Danger is my middle-fucking-name.” He hissed, stepping over it. He walked towards two barrels, the one closest to him seemed to have a picture on it. Picking it up, he immediately recognized who was there. Evie, when she got her tattoo on her shoulder. He chose not to speak, only to put it back on the barrel and continue to look around. Close to the place where he tried to climb, he found shiny glass. “Evie’s pocket watch.” He whispered, the chain neatly curled around the top of the shattered object. There was still a faint ‘tick’ ‘tick’ coming from it, but it was very faint. “She was down here…” He discovered, regret clear on his face.

* * *

Busting a door open, Altaïr pushed it aside. Seeing a light green object in the distance. He made that his next area to explore, keeping the torch he held at arms reach. As he walked across the broken wooden planks and stone ground, he raised an eyebrow as he got closer to the thing. As he approached, he noticed it had a green beanie on, and rotting black hair. Reaching a hand out, he placed it on top of the beanie, before the thing fell. He let out a shout, jumping back. “Henry!” He put a hand on his mouth, watching the head of his missing fall to the ground. “Oh God, Henry, no!” He shook his head. It looks like the head has been here for months, mouth agape, eyes rolled back. So this was what had become of him? But… where’s Evie? And where’s Henry’s body? As he silently mourned the new discovery, he continued onward with shaky legs towards the elevator. He opened the wooden door, walking into familiar territory. He gulped thickly, looking back to where he came from, then stepped towards the elevator. Stepping in, he pulled the rusty lever, and the elevator took off. Thought, it was short lived, it only went up about two floors before it stopped, and Altaïr grumbled in anger. Walking out, he looks to his left as he comes across a small shed, but let out a small gasp and goes back to where he was standing. Someone with a flamethrower was coming this way. He carried a massive tank on his back, a handkerchief was wrapped around his mouth and nose. His hair was a very dark brown and was tied back into a ponytail, and he had a large scar across his right eye. “Please don’t come this way…” Though, Altaïr didn’t look for a very long time, standing still as long as he possibly could. When the Stranger went into his line of sight, Altaïr took off, running past him and down the tunnels. 

“Get back here!” The Stranger muttered, chasing after the brunette. Altaïr panted slightly as he turned corners very narrowly and looked behind him to make sure the man wasn’t getting closer. Coming across a bridge with two empty planks, he jumped over them with a small grunt as his feet made impact with the hard ground. Stopping, Altaïr looked down at the ground to see a barrel of gas had fallen over. He didn’t want the Stranger catching him, so he threw his torch on the gas, covering his face as it lit on fire. He then started to run once again, the Stranger trailing behind him. Turning another corner, Altaïr skidded to a stop, he arrived at a dead end. Breathing heavily, he looked around, looking for another way out. 

  * **Turn Back**
  * **Hide**



Clenching his fists, Altaïr turned back, only to be greeted with the Stranger closing in on him. “Shh… sh sh sh sh sh.” The Stranger extended his arm, trying to calm the scared brunette down. 

* * *

Looking up at the smiling Jacob, Arno grew shocked. “…Jacob?” Said man then started laughing, taking a couple steps back from them to clap happily.

“Jacob!” Claudia clenched her fists, stepping over to the crying Élise and putting a hand on her shoulder, squeezing soothingly. But, Jacob walked circles around them, looking at their shocked faces.

“Oh, oh very good!” He pointed to Edward, who looked ready to shoot him. “Every one of you! Got my name!” He nodded, the corners of his lips turning up in a wide grin. Edward and Claudia helped the friends tied to the chairs, looking at Jacob as he raised his scarred eyebrow. “And after all you’ve been through. Good, good-good-good. I mean, how does that feel?” Now, they all were giving Jacob harsh looks, ones Jacob ignored in his ‘ _victory_ ’. “Right? How does it feel? Do you enjoy feeling terrorized? Humiliated? I mean, panicked?” He then wore a sour expression, walking into the light as he frowned. “All those emotions that Evie got to feel once one year go! Only guess what?” He shook his head, spreading his arms. “She didn’t get to laugh it off! No! Nope! No no no! She’s gone!” Edward then spoke up, looking around at each of the scared friends. 

“I don’t know if you noticed this, Jacob, but none of us are laughing.” Jacob scoffed, throwing his head back.

“Oh come, come-come-come-come. Why the long faces? Come on!” He walked away, looking towards the turned over chair. “It’s good to get the heart racing every now and then, right?” He asked, turning towards them once again to smacking his hands together to act as a heartbeat. “And race they did, I mean, everyone one of you, just pitter-pat, pitter-pat!” He then thought back to the prank he had pulled against everyone, like the candle suddenly turning on when Élise walked past it. “I hope you appreciated my little phantasmagorical spectacle!”

_The candle suddenly turned on, and Élise let out a small yelp. “Ahh! Did that just happen?” She asked Arno, shining her flashlight on it._

“I mean, no detail too small!” Jacob continued. “No opportunity missed! It was such a delight to play the puppet master to all of your Pavlovian panic!”

_Drilling holes into the pipes of the basement, Jacob tied almost invisible strings to the ghost that looked like Evie. Pulling on one of the strings, the dummy’s right arm rose, then her left as Jacob pulled another string._

“And all that gore?” He snickered. “I mean, gore, there was gore galore! Fake bodies… I mean, God that shite was expensive!”

 _With his hand on the red lever, he pushed it left and right, controlling the rails that lead to the trap he would soon put Élise and_ ‘himself’ _on. Looking around, he walked towards the board where he tied the fake body up. Putting his head through the hole, he placed his chin on the neck of the fake body, making this death look realistic._

“And no retakes! Nope, nope, nope, only double takes! You should have seen your faces!” Jacob grinned, raising his arms above his head. “Hook, line, and sinker, for every little stinker!” He laughed.

“Jacob… your fingerprints were all over this. It was obviously you.” Claudia stated, the corners of her lips turning down as Jacob brushed her off.

“Oh really? Really really really?” He asked, planted in his spot.

“You’re crying out for help, Jacob… come on, you wanted to get caught, didn’t you?” She asked.

“Oh sure.” Jacob rolled his eyes. “I’m totally just crying out for help. ‘Help me! Oh help me! Help help.’ Come on!! Come on! It was just for fun! I mean, so you got a little bit of egg on your face, right? Nobody got hurt–” He started, but was interrupted by an angry Edward.

“What are you talking about, you ass hat? Ezio is **fucking dead**.” He said, clenching his fists. Jacob gave him a confused look, tilting his head.

“What?” He whispered. Edward then grabbed the pistol off the table, walking around Arno.

“Did you hear me? Ezio is dead, and you are gonna FUCKING PAY YOU DICK!!” At ‘dick’, Edward hits Jacob in the head with the handle, making Jacob let out a pained yelp, and go unconscious.

* * *

## 03:41, Frye Lodge Grounds, Arno

Edward roughly pushed the struggling Jacob forward with Arno trailing behind them. “Guys!” Jacob protested, trying to get out of the ropes binding his arms behind his back. Edward put a hand on his shoulder, pushing the Brit forward. “Guys come on…” He pleaded, taking a few steps forward before turning towards the pair. “…seriously, this is crazy, you know?” He stood up straight, grunting at the pressure the ropes were putting on his wrists.

“Shut up.” Edward ordered with a blank expression. Jacob then looked to Arno, who wore more of an angered look.

“Arno… Bro…” Jacob said, in hopes Arno would feel some type of sympathy for his best friend.

“I’m not your bro…” Arno shook his head, disappointment evident on his face. Edward then pushed Jacob once again, grunting with effort.

“Where are we going? Where are you taking me?” Jacob looked down at Edward, then let out a small yelp when Edward pushed him to the snow covered ground. 

“Locking you up, bro.” Edward mocked, clenching the revolver at his side. Jacob gasped, looking up at him as he rose to his knees.

“What?” He bit his lip, watching Edward as he leaned his weight onto one leg.

“So you can’t do anything stupid before we call the police in the morning.” He explained while Jacob then rose to his feet.

“Come **ON**!” Jacob gave them both a pleading look. “I didn’t **do** anything-!” He clenched his teeth, groaning in pain as Edward turned him around and gave him another rough push.

“Are you serious?” Arno raised an eyebrow, before Edward took another step forward.

“You’re a goddamned murderer is what you are.” Edward glared at Jacob, who was taking deep breaths to calm himself. Like Arno said… he was off his meds.

“I didn’t do it.” Jacob said, with all the courage he could muster. “Edward please!” He took a couple steps back while Edward and Arno walked forwards. “Just listen to me, man! I did not hurt Ezio–” 

  * **Scold  
** “You deserve this.”
  * **Dismiss  
** “Shut up!”



“Are you insane?” Arno asked, making Jacob look down to the snowy white plain. “Like, really? Do you not understand what you’ve done?” He asked, before Jacob growled and glared at his friend. 

“I’m a healer, man!” He yelled, licking his lips. “I bring people together!” Then, he snarled, glaring at Edward next. “Not like you assholes.” Edward huffed, looking at Jacob straight in the eyes.

“That’s enough.” He stated firmly. Jacob blinked twice, his mouth falling agape. Now arriving at the shed, Jacob was pushed forward once again. He turned, giving the two a nasty look.

“You only see what you wanna see! You’re blind!” He protested, leaning forward to regain his balance. Edward then caught up to him. “You are – argh!”

“Stop talking.” He hissed, a hand on his shoulder as he pushed Jacob to the ground. With a knee on his back, Edward looks around for a spot to put him.

“Dude.” Arno protested, not liking the rough treatment Edward is giving Jacob.

“It’s not my fault you suckers can’t take a joke.” He groaned, feeling a bit of pain from his restricted arms. He kicked his legs, huffing out breaths.

“Oh, oh wait, did I hurt you?” Edward asked, with a hint of teasing in his voice. Putting more pressure on the man’s arms. “Did you just feel a little… little bit of pain?” Jacob grunted, biting his lip. “Right now I am SO… SO… SORRY.” After each word, the pressure became outright painful, and Jacob screamed.

“Stop it…” He breathed, letting his head fall onto the cold ground. “Stop…”

“Jesus, Edward.” Arno shook his head.

“Edward… I’m sorry…” Jacob coughed, leaning up as Edward pulled on his bonds. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am that something happened to Ezio, but I swear, I swear to you I have no idea what happened to him…” He shook his head, trying to turn and look at Edward.

  * **Angry  
** “We can’t trust you.”
  * **Skeptical  
** “Something feels wrong.” 



Arno sighed, looking over to Edward. “Merde… Edward, this…” He paused, gaining a look from the blonde. “I dunno, something feels really wrong here.” He put his hands in the pockets of his winter jacket. Edward scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Are you joking?” He asked, holding the hissing Jacob in a tight grip.

“I-I’m just having a really hard time figuring out that he would do anything to hurt Ezio–” He shut his mouth, watching as Edward came closer.

“ **I saw** , what he did to him. With my own eyes. This…” Edward eyed him, before gesturing to his white tank top. “This is his blood.” Jacob then grinned, giving them a sideways glance.

“Can’t we all just get along?” He chuckled, before crying out in pain. “OW! DAMMIT!” Edward pulled on his bonds once again, standing him up.

“We’re not dicking around.” Edward hissed, noticing Jacob’s change in demeanor. His pupils were wide, almost overflowing his hazel orbs. His mouth twitched, falling open from time to time.

“It’s not right… nope…” Jacob whispered. He then walked to the entrance of the shed when Edward shoved him towards it. “…this is **not** how it’s **supposed** to go down…” He growled, fingers twitching and stomach heaving for breath. Edward then gestured his head towards the Brit, walking towards him with Arno reluctantly trailing behind. “You’re just a bunch of bullies…” Jacob winced, voice pleading as they came closer. “You can’t hang out a guy just to dry like this, guys–” He gulped thickly, leaning in closer towards Edward. “Not like… Not like you got the guys to really do anything about it anyways!” He nodded. Edward gave him another hard shove, and he fell on his knees, trying to remain upright.

  * **Defensive  
** “You’re the coward.” 
  * **Aggressive  
** “You need to shut up.”



“Oh, stuff it. You’re the biggest coward there is–” Arno started, but Jacob laughed.

“Is that so?” He asked, looking in towards the shed where hooks and chains were still hung up. “I **DID** something – I MADE you believe in the world I created, and I showed you parts of yourself you were too afraid to visit–” He chuckled, a spaced out look on his face, before Arno snapped him out of his thoughts.

“You manipulated us, you tricked us, you hurt your friends and you did it all while you hid in the shadows. You’re a coward, Jacob, that’s all you are.” Edward nodded, agreeing with Arno. The blonde then forcibly picked up Jacob and walked him towards the stool in front of a support beam. Jacob still tries to get away, keeping his feet planted on the ground and running when he thought Edward lost his grip, but he didn’t and he shoved Jacob into the stool. He held Jacob down by the shoulder, while Arno untied him and started tying him to the beam.

“Okay… Tying me up now… okay…” Jacob blabbed, chest heaving as he regained his breath.

“Stay still, Jacob–” Edward grunted. Jacob nodded, licking his lips.

“Right, right right right… still… can’t tie ‘em if they just wiggle around–” He wiggled, making Arno let out an angered grunt.

“Jacob, dude–”

“Leave me a little wiggle room, huh?” 

“What does it take to shut you up?” Edward stepped back, letting Arno finish tying Jacob up. When it pulled too tight, Jacob hissed.

“Ow! Not so tight, okay? Not so tight, okay!” He gasped, tilting his head to the side. Then, he started muttering in coherent words, and he felt himself lose it. “I can’t wiggle around. Plastic ties. That’s where it’s at. Yeah.” He muttered, looking around the room.

“What… in god’s name is he talking about?” Edward whispered, looking to Arno as he walked towards him.

“Plastic ties, plastic ties. Way more effective in hostage type scenarios.” Jacob continued, nodding at his own words.

“This is hard to watch.” Arno pursed his lips, looking towards Edward.

“He ever say this kind of shit before?” Edward asked, crossing his arms.

“No, I never seen him like this…” Jacob then spoke loudly, catching the male’s attention.

“Guaranteed for at least three hostages, or your money back!” He laughed, swinging his legs and gazing around the room. Then, he tilted his head down, shaking his head. “Everybody is stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid…” He trailed off, looking up to Arno. “Arno and Éli.” Arno turned towards him, and Jacob leaned forward. “Arno is an ass. Éli’s a dumb dumb.” He licked his lips, tapping his foot on the ground.

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” Arno asked, raising an eyebrow. Jacob raised both eyebrows, acting innocent to Arno.

“Well, I said you’re a dummy, dummy.” He grinned.

“What’s wrong with you?” Arno shook his head, looking towards Edward as he searched the small shed.

“ _’Ohh… Élise…’_ ” Jacob puckered his lips, before a memory hit him.

* * *

_“I’ll get you out of here, Éli. I won’t let you die!” Arno called over Jacob’s screams._

* * *

Jacob’s face turned pleading, pretending to be Arno. “ _’I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you liked me…!_ ” He made kissing noises, making Arno glare at him.

“Stop.” He sighed. 

“You know what that sound is?” Jacob asked, leaning forward to get a better look at the glaring brunette. “It’s the sound of never kissing Élise, you **pussy**.” He glared back, not caring that his arms were becoming mildly uncomfortable.

“Stop!” Arno yelled, grabbing a wooden board and raising it above his head to hit Jacob.

“Yeah, you know? You might as well let Élise sleep with Edward, I mean, at least he’s got some notches on his belt, you know?” Jacob thrusts his hips. “He’ll treat her right!” He looked at Arno with a sour look, eyebrows lowering to show his anger and pure betrayal towards the brunette. “You’re **fucking pathetic** , Arno Dorian!” He screamed. Arno then grasped the board with both hand.

“I’m gonna beat his head off–” He started, but Edward put a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t listen to him. Not worth it.” He said. Jacob then directed his attention towards the blonde.

“Hey Ed. Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed, Ed.” He paused. “Ed!” He piped up, bouncing in his chair.

“What?” Jacob tilted his head.

“What happened with Ezio, Ed?” He asked, voice tipping on the edge between stuttering and muttering. Edward scoffed, shaking his head.

“You know what happened.” He stated.

“No… no… I don’t…” Jacob muttered, shaking his head. “I. Got. A problem, Edward… I don’t remember killing Ezio.” He looked towards the ground.

“Jaysus…”

“I mean, like, I feel like I would remember kill him, you know?” He looked up to Edward, smirking. “He’s so soft… and he’s probably got like a really tight bod…” Edward then clenched the gun, aiming it at Jacob. The Brit jumped, leaning against the beam as he stared down the barrel.

“Shut your fucking mouth!”

  * **Disarm Edward**
  * **Hit Jacob**



Arno pursed his lips, backing off from the two. Jacob let out a small shout, scaring the two. “Ugh… you guys are the worst.” Jacob frowned. 

“What?” Edward asked, confused.

“Oh come ON! You except me to believe you’re gonna shoot me?” He laughed, then he pursed his lips, looking down. “Just little old me? Just little old me tied up here and helpless?” He said in a tiny voice, while Edward rolled his eyes and looked at Edward.

“Why don’t you go back to the lodge and make sure everyone’s alright. I’ll stay here with this lunatic until morning.” He told Arno, before Jacob chuckled behind them.

“Oooh! Sleepover!” He smiled. “C-Can we order pizza?” Arno nodded at Edward’s words, starting to walk out.

“You sure you’re okay…?” He asked Edward, who nodded.

“They’ll want to know everything’s fine back there.” Arno nodded.

“You’re right.” He tossed the board down. “See you in the morning.” He stepped out the shed, all falling silent other than his feet stepping in the snow.

* * *

**Sorry it’s so fast-paced everyone! ;~;**


	9. Revelation

##  **Revelation, Three Hours Until Dawn**

Taking a few steps towards the shaking boy, the Stranger let out a small gruff, clenching the handle of the flamethrower in his grasp. “Urgh…” 

“ARGH! No!” Altaïr shook his head as he tripped over the rails and crawled back. Approaching the man, the Stranger extended a gentle hand towards him, trying to calm him down.

“Sh sh sh sh sh sh…” He whispered, face twisting into a snarl as the man wouldn’t be quiet. 

“No, stay away!” Altaïr felt his back pressing against a wooden fence, now noticing he was trapped. The Stranger took another step forward, now trying his best to get the scared boy to calm down in fear of whatever he was chasing.

“ _Shhhh! Quiet!_ ” He hissed, but now it was too late. Hearing a hiss behind him, he turned and watched as a large and skinny creature crawled down from the doorway. Cursing quietly, he reached forward and grabs Altaïr by the forearm, pulling him to his feet. The brunette struggles, trying to get the masked man off him. 

“Argh! No, no!” He shouted. “Let go of me!” He realized too late that the figure behind the Stranger was making a stalking move towards them. The masked man then kicked the old, wooden fence open, revealing a path that Altaïr could easily slide down. Having no other choice, he pushed the brunette down, causing the boy to scream in fright. He then grasped the strap of a purse, tossing it down the same path Altaïr is on. 

“Use these!” He shouted, turning to face the screeching figure. “And get the hell out of here!” With a yell, he pulled the trigger to the flamethrower, trying to keep the figure at bay and away from them both. 

## 04:01, Mines, Altaïr

Landing hard on his back, Altaïr panted heavily as he tried to recover from that encounter. Then, the bag landed on his stomach, and the breath was forced from him in a pained whimper. “What?” He whispered, rolling over onto his stomach to get to his feet. He then remembered the Stranger’s words, looking around for the bag he had thrown to him. Quickly setting his eyes upon the white purse, picking it up by the long strap. “What’s in here?” Unlocking the buckle, he reached inside and grasped a light, red cylinder. Bringing it out, he soon realized it was a flare, only there was a cover on it. With a gruff, he took the cover off, sparking the flare to life. Though, it was too quick, and Altaïr squinted his eyes to get used to the sudden light again. “Alright… alright let’s go.” He encouraged himself, putting the strap over his shoulder to take with him. 

* * *

After a while exploring the mines, Altaïr had realized it was a dead end, a mine cart next to him and a wooden fence in front of it. Turning back, he found a rock wall that he had missed, one with a gap that looked easy to fit in. Gulping thickly, the brunette turned to his side and went in. “Okay… okay this has to be the way.” He whispered, shimmying through the tight fit. But, a monster hand then bursts through the wood boards and attempts to grab Altaïr, but it misses. Jumping in fright, he quickly escapes the tight walls, clenching the flare as he ran. Eyes wide and teeth bared, he runs for all it’s worth. Another hand reached out from the boards, swiping across and nearly catching the man. Altaïr ducked, trying to get a good look at the creature, but was not successful. Turning back, he ran up the wooden stairs, hoping the creature wasn’t as close as it sounds. “What is that?” He asked himself, running onto a bridge with no railing. Then, he noticed a gap in the bridge and jumped over it. Once his feet made impact with the ground, he accidentally dropped the flare onto the bridge, to which he bent down and picked up. The creature was behind him, landing on the bridge as Altaïr sprinted further down the hallway. It chased him, shockingly fast and it could easily catch up to him, though it paused in some cases. At a fork in the path, Altaïr stopped looking left and right between the paths. 

  * **Left**
  * **Right**



Turning to his left, he sprinted down the path with a worried, but determined look. The creature angrily followed, climbing onto the walls, then jumping to the ceiling. Looking him for a split second, Altaïr ran further, the flare still sparking and glowing in his hard grip. Taking rushed breaths, he hastily reached for a lever as he arrived at an elevator. Grasping the cold metal, he pulled it towards him, the elevator then jolting to life. Kneeling, Altaïr looked to the floor, a hand on his heart and throat aching from the many breaths he forced out himself from sprinting. “Come on!” He hissed, looking through the cracked wooden boards for the monster that was chasing him. After a time, he stood up once again, looking up. “Okay, okay… snap out of it, Altaïr.” When he finished, the elevator stopped, making him swear quietly. Running once again, he tossed the now useless flare to the side, noticing he was in a run down warehouse with the obvious snow storm blowing through the roofs and walls. Looking up, he found a chain dangling from a closed off compartment. Reaching up, he pulled on the chain, the compartment opening and large boulders falling from it. The creature stopped at the sight, the rocks almost blocking its path from the escaping brunette. Altaïr jumped up the stairs, the white bag smacking against his hip from how fast he was trying to be. He then notices some barrels as he’s running, a big, red triangle on them labeled ‘Flammable’. Reaching over, he tipped one of them over, and did the same with the one near the exit. Opening the bag, he pulled another flare out and sparked one on. With shaking fingers, he threw it onto the dripping oil from the barrels. The oil then lit on fire, creating a blockage for the monster. Looking down then, Altaïr jumped from the edge, landing on the harsh wooden floors that made up the buildings. The outside was harsh and completely different from the mines and the barns. The winds was hitting him full force, the snow falling heavily, and the screeching of the creature only spurred him on. He then comes across a conveyor belt, one that had a lever next to it. Pulling it towards him, the belt started to move upwards, he realized he could use this to his advantage. Climbing onto the conveyor belt, he tried to look up to see what was on the other side, but there was nothing except the roof and darkened sky. Falling onto his hands, he started to climb the belt, looking behind him to make sure the creature wasn’t following him. “Come on… come on…” He clenched his teeth, eyebrows creasing in extreme worry. Standing once more, he found a opening to his right, somewhere he can get off, or he can stay on with the moving belt. 

  * **Stay On**
  * **Leap Off**



Looking to his right, he quickly made a move to jump off the conveyor to an inactive one. With the belt not moving, he was able to keep his balance as he ran up the steep machine. When he reached the end, he jumped off the belt and to the path leading to the barn. He ran inside, stopping near the barn doors to feel something solid hitting his stomach. With a rushed breath, he reached down into his pocket and pulled out the flare gun he had kept earlier. 

  * **Shoot**
  * **Keep**



Aiming the flare gun towards the moving ore grinder, Altaïr stood his ground as the creature appeared over the edge. Putting his finger on the trigger, he fired! The flare burst out the barrel, disappearing down the conveyor belt along with the creature. A breath of relief left him, but he knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet. Looking around, he made haste towards the barn doors, opening one and slamming it shut. Sliding the lock in place, he took a few deep breaths, feeling his heart pounding insanely in his chest. When he felt the creature wouldn’t attack him again, he gazed down at the support beams leading towards the perfect escape route, a zip line. The hill below was very steep, if he missed, he would for sure break some bones. Taking a deep breath, Altaïr jumped forward, landing on the metal beam, though he didn’t stop there. Jumping to the second beam, he swung his arms to regain his balance. Just as he made a move to hop to the third beam with the zip line, the barn doors burst open, and the creature screeched loudly at the sight of Altaïr escaping. Looking back, Altaïr gasped at the creature that jumped at him with such speed. Making a final jump, Altaïr’s hands grasped the handles of the zip line, the contraption moving away from the monster with the man’s weight. The creature reached for him, but quickly refrained from chasing him, an angry snarl on its face. A surprised scream left Altaïr’s lips, the apparatus sliding down the wires with such speed, he hopes he’ll have a soft landing, but that was not to happen. At the end of the power line, it broke, and Altaïr looses his grip on the handles. He fell to the snow covered ground, feeling something snap in his right shoulder as he made impact with solid ground once again. Groaning heavily, he rolled over and shakily stood, putting a hand on his shoulder. Moving it around, he looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Then, he heard another screech from behind him, and he sharply turned around, raising both eyebrows in fright.

* * *

The wind blew at a more calm pace, snow still falling from the sky and the almost leafless trees. A sudden screech from far away disturb the crows resting on the frail branches, them all flying away from the noise. 

* * *

Altaïr breathed heavily as he ran along the path clear of trees and rocks, trying to get back to the Lodge where he was sure everyone was. Fists clenched tightly, he pushed himself passed the gate that separated the Lodge from the vast woods. Seeing the familiar building in the distance, he only urged his legs to go faster into the safety of the gigantic Lodge. 

* * *

Holding the pistol close to himself, Edward watched Jacob with focused eyes, only turning away from a piercing screech cut through the air. Sighing in annoyance, he faced Jacob once more. “What now?” He said, making the Brit raise an eyebrow and lean his head against the beam. 

“Better go find out, Eddy.” Jacob smirked, sagging in the chair a bit. Edward then left, taking off down the trail once he felt Jacob would be safe enough to stay tied up.

* * *

Back at the Lodge, Altaïr banged frantically on the door, calling out to anyone who could let him in. “Let me in! Let me **IN**!” He shouted, turning the knob with haste.

“Is that–?” Élise started, but the group stood from the couch and ran to the door.

“It’s Altaïr!” Claudia said in relief, following after the concerned Arno. 

“Let him in! Quick!” Unlocking the door, the door quickly swung open in Altaïr’s attempts to get inside, and along with that, Altaïr’s snow covered body fell to the ground. 

“Shut the door!” He yelled, pushing himself to his feet with the help of Claudia and Élise. “Oh my god, shut the door!” He panted, walking backwards towards the main room with a hand on his beating chest. Locking the door once again, Arno followed the three.

“Altaïr, are you alright?” He asked, before getting a whispered response from the male.

“I didn’t think I’d make it–”

“You were screaming bloody murder.” Stopping at the table, Arno let the two women sit Altaïr on the couch. 

“Are you okay?” Claudia asked, sitting next to the tired man.

“You look totally wiped–” Élise muttered.

“Something’s out there–” Altaïr tried to say, but was quickly interrupted by the worried friends.

“Where’s Connor? Did you guys split up?”

“A monster– It’s a monster–”

“Wait!” Arno interrupted them all, trying to think of a question to ask. 

## 04:23, Frye Lodge, Arno

  * **Confused  
** “Wait. A monster?”
  * **Concerned  
** “Are you okay?” 



Taking a deep breath, Arno leaned forwards so the brunette could focus on him. “Are you okay?” He asked, eyebrows raising in concern.

“I’m fine, I don’t feel anything, I just need to calm down. It was moving so damn fast–” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. 

“What?” Confused, Arno spoke to him.

“Th-there was this thing, whatever it was–”

 ****“Altaïr.” Claudia interrupted him, a hand on his leg. “Altaïr, you can relax… Jacob was messing with us… but we–”

“You’re not listening to me.” Lowering his head, Altaïr tried to get his breathing in order.

  * **Confused  
** “What happened?”
  * **Concerned  
** “Where’s Connor?” 



“Wait Altaïr – where’s Connor? Is he okay?” Lowering one of his eyebrows, Altaïr covered his mouth and nose with his hands.

“Connor – oh God. We couldn’t use the cable car so we climbed the tower and then it fell and we were down in the mine, like way down, down in this terrifying mine shaft… I think Connor might be dead.” He muttered.

“Wait what?” Squinting his eyes, Arno stared at Altaïr confused. 

“How?” Claudia raised an eyebrow.

“I–I was walking down there, in the mines, and it was dark and I found this pile, and there was Henry’s head!” When Élise gasped with a hand on her mouth, he spoke once more. “Henry’s head. I found it.”

“Oh my god.” Shifting in her seat, Élise looked towards the fireplace.

“Are you serious?” Claudia asked him.

“Yes I’m serious!” He said, looking down to the wooden floors with a solemn look. “I think they fell down there.”

“Jesus Christ.” Arno whispered, rubbing his chin.

“But the worst part is I don’t think Evie died, like, from the fall, not right away…” The brunette shook his head, crossing his arms.

“What? What do you mean?” Élise asked, folding her hands on her lap.

“I don’t know… I feel like she was down there… like, starving to death… for weeks… when we were all up here looking for her… we had no idea!”

“Jesus, that’s horrible…” Arno pursed his lips, putting his hands on his hips.

“Listen. In… in the tower there was a radio and I-I got through to someone – but that was right when the tower collapsed!” Suddenly running into the Great Room, Edward sighs in relief at seeing the group alive and well.

“Altaïr!” He said in a great relief, reaching out to embrace the still shaking brunette. “You made it!”

“Yeah, yeah, barely!” Arno nodded, gesturing towards the two.

“What about Connor?” The blonde asked, looking around.

“We’re trying to figure that out…” 

“And there was this monster that was chasing her…”

“He’s all messed up guys, Altaïr?” He tried getting the man to focus. “Hey Alty?” Then, there was sudden banging on the back door near the basement stairs. The group of teens jumped in fright, not expecting the loud noise that echoed through the main room.

“Woah.” Arno winced, Edward clenched his fists.

“Who can that be?” He whispered to everyone.

“Jacob?” Élise asked.

“Ezio?” Arno looked towards Edward, who sighed deeply.

“It’s not Ezio.”

“Sorry man… but who is it?” Shrugging his shoulders, looking towards the door.

“I don’t know… we should check it out.” At his words, Arno slowly reached towards Edward and poked his shoulder.

“I got your back.” He muttered.

“Good.” The three sat down, watching Edward and Arno as they stepped towards the back door. Edward clenched the pistol at his side, standing on his toes to try and get a good look at the door and who was behind it. In precaution, he aims the gun at the door, stopping at a safe distance. Arno stopped beside him, looking at the door as well.

  * **Demand  
** “Give me the pistol.”
  * **Suggest  
** “I’ll cover the door.”



“Uh… let me have the pistol. ‘Cos you can take whoever it is through sheer good looks. And muscle and all that… Just, I should have the pistol.” Arno spoke, extending his hand towards the blonde. Edward, who appreciates Arno’s words, nodded.

“Well. When you put it that way.” Standing up straight, Edward handed Arno the pistol, clenching his fists and crouching a bit. “Don’t shoot yourself in the foot.” Arno rolled his eyes.

“Funny. You should get your own show.”

“Huh.” Stepping towards the door, Arno turned the knob but whoever was behind it kicked it open, knocking Arno down to the ground. “Ah! Shite! Arno, shoot him, man!”

“H-Hey! Freeze!” Arno pointed the gun towards the Stranger as he walked in, one hand holding the flamethrower, and the other at his side. But, the Stranger was faster than Arno. He grabbed the barrel of the gun and yanked it out of his grip, making Arno jump up and back away.

“Yikes! Ahh!” He put his hands up, almost bumping into the scared Edward. Closing the door, the Stranger turned towards the two.

“Ok. Everybody just calm down.” His Irish accent was very prominent, and they could very well see a scar on his right eye. His brown hair was tied into a low ponytail, and he had a handkerchief around his neck, presumably to block the cold winds. With a gloved hand, he pointed towards the Great Room. “Now just move over there. Go on, move! Let me say what I came to say.” He demanded, following the teens towards the living room and keeping the hose close to him. Once they were all situated in the room, he faced the lit fireplace. “I’m here to tell you what you’re up against being back on this mountain. You should never have returned. I don’t know why you did after what happened last year.” He then dropped a bag nearby, arm resting on the well structure brick wall.

“You mean with Evie and Henry?” Élise asked, sitting down.

“Oui, how could you know without being involved–” Arno asked.

“Or responsible–?” Claudia lowered her eyebrows, crossing his arms.

“You hold on to your horses.” The Stranger hissed, turning to face the group. “I don’t take kindly to you kids coming up here to my mountain–”

“Your mountain?” Edward interrupted him, his arms crossed and a pointed look on his face. “I’m sure the Fryes would be very surprised to hear that.” The Stranger chuckled, shaking his head.

“Hehheh. Well, this mountain don’t belong to me, it’s true. But it don’t belong to the Frye’s.” Taking a step forward, he grasped the hose with both hands. “This mountain belongs to the Wendigo.”

“Who?” Arno furrowed his eyebrows.

“What’s he talking about?” Looking around, Claudia put a hand on her thigh.

“What the hell’s a Wendigo?” Tapping his foot, Edward locked eyes with Claudia.

“Let’s hear him out.” She whispered, not wanting to interrupt anything. Edward couldn’t help, but agree.

“Not like we have a choice.” He pursed his lips, now facing the waiting Stranger.

“Now, I’m only going to tell you this once. It doesn’t matter to me if you believe it or not.” He took a few steps to the side, the gas tanks clinking together as he moved. “I got reasons I want to… get it off my chest…” 

“See? I told you! He’s guilty as shit! Guilty of something!” Edward pointed an accusing finger at the man, before Claudia slapped his arm.

“Shh. Shut up, Edward!”

“There is a curse. That dwells in these mountains.” Looking at the group, the Stranger lowered his eyebrows. “Should any man or woman resort to cannibalism in these woods the spirit of the Wendigo shall be unleashed.” Edward then was shocked, looking down at the ground.

“Oh crap.” He whispered, looking up when a memory struck him.

* * *

_As Edward made a move to go to him, the window smashed open, and Ezio was grabbed by the hair. The Italian let out a fearful scream, trying to rid the long nails from his long hair that could potentially rip it out. The glass broke, as Ezio struggled. But, with a final scream, the unrelenting grip pulled the male out the window, his scream echoing throughout the area. | Looking through the scope, he could see a figure at the top of the elevator, and he put his finger on the trigger. He shot, creating a loud ringing in his ears._

* * *

Edward turned his gaze to the ground, a frown on his face. “You’re going to need to find somewhere safe.” The Stranger said, his eyes meeting Claudia’s as she spoke.

“The basement might be okay…” She nodded, making a move to stand.

“Okay. Get down there, now. All of you. And wait.” He stepped forward, extending a hand towards them.

“What? Why? For how long?” Raising an eyebrow, Claudia tilted her head. Altaïr then rolled his eyes, looking over to the brunette. 

“Until dawn.” He said, crossing his arms. 

“Guys… I ran off and left Jacob when I heard screaming.” Edward blurted, turning to look at the now shocked group.

“Where did you leave him?” The Stranger asked, tilting his head to the side with an eyebrow lowered. 

“In the shed…” Edward muttered, making the Stranger nod. 

“Your friend will already be dead.” He stated blankly, with no remorse that Jacob might be dead. But, Arno shook his head, mouth agape as he took to his feet.

“No… no he can’t be… we were just with him!” He was in denial, that such a thing could be real and taken Jacob that quickly. 

“A lot can happen quickly on this mountain.” Pursing his lips, the man took a deep breath. 

“No. I’m gonna go get him.” Slapping his hands on his sides, he said it with determination. 

“You can’t go out there, Arno!” Élise suddenly said, leaning forward.

“I’m supposed to be his best friend and I… I-I let him down.” Thinking back to the ‘prank’ Jacob pulled on them, it was stupid, horrible, and very unlike Jacob to pull on them. But, Jacob was his best friend, he was off his meds, and will not refrain from looking for the brunette. Especially now that a Wendigo was on the loose, Jacob was vulnerable. 

“No… he let you down, Arno – he let all of us down.” Élise looked around, pursing her pink lips when Arno shook his head at her.

“I don’t care. I’m going to get him.” He lowered his voice, sighing softly. 

“Then I’ll go with you.” The Stranger took a step forward, gas tanks clinking behind him as he moved.

“I don’t need your help.” Arno shook his head once more, turning to face the man. 

“Going alone with suicide.” He had lots of experiences with going alone, but these kids were very inexperienced, if one of them goes out alone, they wouldn’t make it out the front door. Arno thought about it, but the Stranger was right, he doesn’t know what these things are or what they do.

“Fine.” He agreed, putting his hands in his pockets. Nodding, the Stranger turned to the rest of the group. 

“The rest of you–get down to the basement. Be safe. Don’t go outside until we’re back.” He ordered, pointing to the foyer where the basement stairs are. Then, he turned to Arno with his eyebrows lowered. “You don’t seem to understand the magnitude of the situation.” He warned, looking the brunette straight in the eyes. 

“Well, I’m going to get Jacob, aren’t I?” Arno raised an eyebrow, looking off to the side.

“No, I’m going to get Jacob. You’re going to help me. Do you understand?” Pointing a finger at him, the Stranger pursed his lips after he spoke his question. Arno hesitated, blinking twice before nodding. 

“Uh… yeah… I think so…” He stuttered, taking a deep breath. 

“You need to follow me. And do everything I tell you.” The Stranger said firmly, then turning and going through the kitchen doors to the door Arno used earlier to look for Élise and Jacob. Once he arrived at the door, the Stranger pulled a shotgun from the compartment on his back, handing it to Arno. He then pointed to the barrel. “This is the end you point towards the thing you want to kill.” Arno scoffed, smirking.

“I know how to use a shotgun, man.” He chuckled.

“No, you don’t.” The Stranger shook his head, stepping towards Arno. 

“What? How do you know?” Confused, Arno looked at the brown eyed man.

“Trust me, I know.” Smirking, he turned and opened the door, stepping outside. Then, Élise walked out to the hallway, catching Arno by the shoulder.

“Hey… come back safe.” She smiled softly, standing on her toes and pressing her lips to his. Shocked, Arno pulled back too quickly, his eyes wide and a blush staining his cheeks. 

“I, er… uh.” He stuttered, stepping back. 

“We gotta go, son.” The Stranger looked towards him, an eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. Gulping thickly, Arno nodded to Élise and clenched the shot gun. 

“I’ll see you when I get back.” He said, following the Stranger out the door. With a longing smile, Élise shut the door when Arno walked out, looking at him as he left. 

* * *

With a sigh, Arno followed the Stranger down the stairs. “So… what’s your name?” He suddenly asked, trying to get the thick silence out of the atmosphere, or else he’d have to listen to the squeaking of his winter coat. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, the Stranger turned towards Arno with a small smile, holding out his hand.

“Shay, Shay Patrick Cormac.” Arno let a grin grow on his face, shaking hands with the man named Shay. He will try to be happy, at least until they find Jacob, or the Wendigo first.

“Arno Victor Dorian, it’s a pleasure… and a life changer to meet you.” Huffing a laugh, Shay turned to the path leading to the shed.

“Well, I haven’t seen a more determined lad to find his mentally ill friend. What were you two thinking when you tied him up here?” Arno then followed him, a sad frown on his face.

“That… That we could keep him from hurting himself, or us.” He muttered.

“You couldn’t do that in the Lodge? You had to bring the poor lad out here, in the bitter cold, tie him up, then leave him for dead. I outta punch ya in the windpipe.” Gulping thickly, Arno stayed silent, though, he knew he couldn’t for long. There’s still so many questions left unanswered. 

“So… So tell me. You’re the expert on these _‘things’_. What’s… uh… What’s a guy gotta know…?”

“You just be careful. Follow my lead.” Shay stated, by the tone of his voice, he didn’t want Arno killed.

“So… How many times to I have to shoot it with this shotgun before it’s dead?” Looking down, Arno had found the same trail of ‘blood’ he followed earlier. The prank seemed far behind now that he was out here a second time. With a shotgun, a man with a flamethrower, and risking both theirs lives against a Wendigo.

“Well you’d be shooting a long time.” Shay looked at him from the corner of his eye, raising an eyebrow.

“You mean this thing won’t even kill it?” Arno gasped in shock, eyes widening. 

“No… but it’ll slow it down.” He shook his head.

“Well how do you **_kill it_**?” Lowering his eyebrows, he pursed his lips.

“They don’t like fire.” Shay gruffed, gesturing to the gas tanks on his back.

“I don’t like fire-” Arno started, but was quickly interupted.

“They fear it, and it can kill them, if you have to…” Shay turned towards him, but continued walking. “See their skin is like… it’s like tough armor unless you burn it off first.” Arno made a face, making Shay roll his eyes.

“That’s gross…” He ‘bleh’ed. Now running out of questions for the man. Only minutes later, he spoke once more.“What are these things like? I mean, are they just crazy unpredictable or can you figure out what they’re gonna do?” Tilting his head, Shay sighed nasally. 

“Well… they adhere to some patterns… like any animal… or human.”

 “Wh-You mean, like how? Like they’ve got schedules?”

“Well, they only hunt at night.”

“Oh. Why?” 

“I didn’t ask.” Shay stated. Arno held his laughter in, not wanting to laugh in case he actually punched him in the throat. 

“Any, uh, pro Wendigo tips? Like if I rub garlic all over me they won’t be able to smell me or something?”

“They’ll still smell you.”

“Anything like that?” Arno said matter-of-factly, rolling his eyes at the man.

“They can’t see you if you’re standing still. It’s like toads… sight is based on changes of movement in their field of vision.”

“So if I don’t move… I’m basically invisible.” Arno was a usually happy person, the situation is tense, but he stills tries to keep himself from crumbling under the pressure.

 “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t recommend testing it out… unless you have no other choice.” Shay shook his head, not wanting it to come to that in case the Wendigo **did** take Jacob.

“If these things… Wendigos… are or were human do they still have some aspect of humanity in them?” Rolling his shoulders, Shay took a deep breaths.

“Well, they retain certain things.”

“I mean, is it really right to kill them? Maybe they can be cured or-” Once again, he was interrupted. Shay doesn’t mean to be rude, but he had to get it through Arno’s head that these things are dangerous, that they kill without remorse.

“They surrender human rights the moment they eat one another. There’s no cure. There’s no redemption.” He hissed, glaring at the blood stained ground.

“I-I mean if they’re still human… I don’t know if it’s right to hurt them.”

“When you’re staring one in the face… it’s them, or you. Feel free to take the high route, you won’t be on it for long.”

* * *

Arriving at the shed, Arno looks around as he enters the cold building, but there was no sign of Jacob. It was quiet. No incoherent muttering, no stomping, and no laughing, just _silence_. “Oh no… Dammit! What happened? He’s gone…! We’re too late!” Arno looked down at the bloody mess it left, the stool broken and ropes on the ground. Shay then heard a ringing in his ears, looking from the worried Arno to outside.

“Shh! Quiet!” He hissed, eyebrows lowering into a glare. The wind blew harshly outside, only lowering Shay’s hearing when it came to tracking. “We gotta go. Right now.” He growled, scanning the area with preying eyes.

“We gotta find Jacob - he could still be out there!” Arno whispered, planted in his spot as he looked around in case Jacob was hiding anywhere. Then, Shay turned sharply, a loose grin on his face.

“Ha! First, the Wendigo,” he walked towards Arno, extending a hand. “He’ll render you immobile. And then he strips the skin of your entire body, piece by piece.” Stepping back, he put his back to the closed door, looking outside. “And then he keeps you alive, and aware and feasts on your organs, one piece at a time.” After his words, Arno sighed in hopelessness… Shay knew better than he did.

“So, the Lodge, then.” He said, flinching when Shay nodded.

“Let’s go now. It might still be near!” Walking out the barn first, Shay kept his finger on the trigger of the flamethrower, stopping when he noticed Arno wasn’t following. But, Arno followed, fingers shaking slightly as he reluctantly left the safety of the shed. But, when he was close enough to touch Shay’s shoulder, Shay shushed him, standing completely still.

“Wait! Don’t… move…” He whispering, in a very demanding voice. Standing up straight, Shay kept his head looking past the shed and back the way they came. “Be very quiet…” On instinct, Arno held his breath, hands gripping the shotgun in a hold that would put the strongest man to shame. But, Shay then moved forward, the ringing in his ears stopping. But, as Arno made a move to follow, they both then hear the frantic running of something running towards them. Shay reacted immediately, pulling on Arno’s sleeve to make him run.

“RUN! GO! NOW! NOW!” Running down the hill, Shay wanted to make it back to the Lodge as quickly as possible. But, something inhuman jumped in front of them, making Shay skid to a stop and Arno almost falling forward. 

“HOLY SHIT!  **WHAT THE FUCK**!?” Arno exclaimed, while Shay activated the flamethrower against the Wendigo. It jumped away, into the safety of the bushes. 

“ **Back! Back!** ” Shay shouted at it, releasing his hold on the trigger when it disappeared. 

“God DAMN-” Arno sniffed, not expecting it to jump so close. He only saw it for a split second before it was almost engulfed in flames, but it was truly terrifying. The only thing he caught was the long limbs it had, and the dangerous ‘claws’ as fingernails.

“We’re right out in the open, we **gotta GET OUT OF HERE**!” Shay panted. But, just as he looked around to spot it once more, the Wendigo jumped out the bushes, reaching its right arm out and swiping it across Shay’s neck. With a choked cry, Shay struggled to stay upright. The gas tanks on his back weighed him down. Falling to his knees, Shay sagged, arms falling limp at his sides. Arno’s mouth fell agape, holding the gun close to him. Then, Shay’s head detatched from his body, landing on front of him. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, all breath leaving him. He was dead… and Arno was now alone with a monster who just killed the man who was supposed to keep them at bay.

“Oh my god oh my god oh my god!!” He gasped, looking around for the monster. “Oh shit…” Then, the Wendigo jumped out once more, landing in front of Shay’s dead body. Gaining enough strength, it lunged at Arno with a screech. It was so fast, Arno almost didn’t pull the trigger. But, he did. With a grunt, he aimed the gun at Shay’s gas tanks. 

_“They don’t like fire. They fear it, and it can kill them, if you have to… See their skin is like… it’s like tough armor unless you burn it off first.”_

Pulling the trigger, the gas tanks blew up, and the Wendigo zoomed past Arno. The boy fell to the ground, a hand on his chest to make sure he wasn’t hit. “Oh… what?” He whispered, quickly getting to his feet. Not wanting to wait around in case the thing was still around, Arno took off, the shotgun in one hand as he fled the scene. It was only for so long, the Wendigo was quickly catching up to him. Looking back, Arno didn’t see anything, it must be chasing him from where he couldn’t see. Turning back, Arno gasped at the sight of a fallen tree blocking his path, but he rolled under it, getting a few feet ahead before turning and aiming the shotgun at the log. The Wendigo jumped on top the log, pushing itself off it and lunging once again towards Arno with its arms extended. Finger on the trigger, he pulled it, hitting the Wendigo in the chest and sending it back to fall to the ground. “Ugh!! Yeah! Suck it!” Turning on his heel, Arno sprinted off. Now, Arno wasn’t the fastest of the group, or in school, but he surely wasn’t dying today because of his speed. Seeing the Lodge just meters away, he jumped down from the edge, landing hard on his feet. “ARGH!! Ahh, shit…” But, he felt something snap, and he cried out in pain as his right ankle brought him a strike of pain every time he moved it. Taking rushed breaths, he limped forward, looking around for the Wendigo. It climbed onto the small shed. Leaping to the ground, the Wendigo jumped towards him, mouth agape, revealing yellow and in grown teeth. Arno quickly pointed the barrel towards it, shooting on instinct and sending it back a couple feet. “Ohh!” He couldn’t help, but chuckle, sprinting towards the Lodge’s back door. Banging his fists against it, he breathed a sigh of relief when Élise was seen running towards it. “Oh thank God! Please, let me in, quick!” Opening the door, Élise swung it open and watched Arno as he limped inside. “Oh my God!” Reaching over, he slammed the door shut, rattling it on its hinges.

“Arno! Oh my God, what happened?!” She put a hand on his arm, concern etched on her face.

“We gotta go, that thing was like right behind me-” Arno pulled her away from the door. They both then see the Wendigo outside, jumping towards the door. Mouth agape, Élise stumbled back, then following Arno to the stairs. “Go! Go go go go!”

“Oh god!” Élise gasped, running down the stairs.

* * *

With an angry snarl, the Wendigo grabbed a hold of the unconscious Jacob by the ankle and started dragging him across the snowy plains. Jacob, unable to do anything against the beast, was dragged into the bushes, them both slowly faded out of view. 

* * *

## 04:47, Old Hotel, Edward

With a pained grunt, Arno pushed open the chain linked door with Edward and Élise trailing behind him. “Guys! Thank god!” Altaïr spoke to the three, Edward quickly closing the door and locking it. 

“What took you guys so long?” Claudia quickly asked, looking between the distressed teens. Arno took a deep breath, leaning his weight against the table so his leg could rest.

“It’s not so good up there right now–” Arno said, waving his hand at the concerned two.

“Understatement of the night.” Edward stated, keeping an eye outside the door, while Claudia took a step towards Arno.

“Arno… where’s the flame thrower guy?” She asked, watching the brunette as he shook his head.

“Ah yeah, he uh…” He trailed off, remembering Shay shooting fire at the creature before it sliced his head clean off. Arno shook at the memory, dreading what would have happened if he hadn’t had that shotgun.

“He didn’t make it…?” Élise whispered, gaining a wide eyed look from Arno. Altaïr let out a ‘oh no’, putting his hands on his head and stepping back. 

“What happened?” Claudia asked, still Arno shook, putting his gaze to the stone ground.

“The thing, it…” He paused to take a shuddering breath. “…it tore him apart-!” He shook his head, crossing his arms. “Right in front of me!” His voice grew lower until it was nothing but a mere mutter, eyes flashing with fright.

“Oh dieu.” Claudia whispered, feeling her stomach cave in as she couldn’t have imagined what Arno had witnessed. Edward then stepped back, walking from the fence to the other door leading from the basement to the underground. 

“Alright. These all the doors?” He asked, gaining a nod from Claudia. “Are you sure?”

“What are you looking for?” She asked the somewhat angry blonde. 

“Another way out.” He said, walking back into the room to look at the cameras set up around the mountain.

“Edward…” Claudia stepped over to him, while Altaïr stood by Arno and Élise. “I really don’t think that’s a good idea. We should stay put, right here, until dawn. At least we’re safe down here–” Edward turned to her, an eyebrow raised.

“Oh? Yeah? All wrapped like a little present with a bow on top for that thing to tear us apart on Christmas morning?” He asked, snapping his fingers at her before walking off to the next room.

“People will come for us. In the morning.” Claudia said, voice wavering as she didn’t have time to think about what she said. Edward paused, turning around to look at her.

“You don’t sound so sure.” He shook his head, a sigh leaving him afterwards as Claudia flinched.

“That’s… what’ll happen.” She paused, fists clenching at her sides. “Right Altaïr?” He hesitated, but nodded at the trio.

“Yeah, they are.” He said, rubbing his arm. Edward scoffed, stepping past them.

“Well you can wait. I’m leaving.” He stated, not wanting to be a sitting duck for the Wendigo to come down and tear him apart. 

“Edward… there’s no key for the cable car.” Altaïr shook his head, rubbing his throbbing shoulder – it still hurt from the fall. Edward then stopped, turning and gesturing towards the wall.

“Jacob.” He said, making Claudia raise an eyebrow. “He’s gotta have it.”

“Jacob?” Claudia asked, scoffing as she turned around.

“One of his dirty little tricks.” Pursing her lips, the brunette hooked her thumbs in the pockets of her lightweight jacket. 

“Great. Great!” She sighed, shaking her head. Edward put a hand on his hip, taking a step forward.

“If that fucking thing got a hold of Jacob… then, we’re shit outta luck.” Altaïr shrugged, shaking his head at the blonde’s words.

“I don’t know, Edward… it’s possible. It may have taken him down to the mines.” He said, turning to look down at the metal table.

“What?” Edward stepped towards him, along with Claudia.

“I saw some horrible stuff down there… I think it’s where that thing lives and…” He stopped, his eyes suddenly catching sight of a book that wasn’t there before. Edward grumbled, scratching one side of his chin.

“Fuck it. I’m gonna get that key. Right from that thing’s goddamned bedroom, and then I’m gonna get us all the hell out of here.” Though, it seems the two weren’t listening, going through Shay’s bag. 

“What is that?” Claudia asked, pointing to the book Altaïr picked up. 

“It’s that old guy’s bag.” Curious, Élise walked over to the trio. 

“Is that a map?” Edward asked from behind them.

“The guy was prepared for anything.” Élise stated, then pointed to the Sanatorium. “Wait wait wait, what is that?”

“Oh my god.” Edward sighed. “I was down there, it was horrible.” He bit his lip, nodding his head when Claudia asked ‘you were’. “There had been a cave-in. In the fifties I guess, and these miners got trapped down there. Some of them survived, but like, fifteen of ‘em didn’t make it. There was this reporter and I think he figured out there had been some, like, big cover-up going on. I found these plans–they knew the mines was a death trip, but they let the miners keep working anyway.” He explained. “And… I’m not sure what it means, but… I found this chair, with dried blood all over the place… like somebody’d been tortured.” Pursing his lips, he rubbed his nose. “I’m just saying it’s weird how much crazy shit’s gone up here.”

“What’s weird is there’s a tunnel leading from the Lodge to the Sanatorium, see?” Altaïr said, pointing to the red marker lines circling the passage.

“That’s how I got back here.” 

“I saw this when I was down there. That’s where it lives.” Altaïr said, feeling a chill creeping up his spine at the memory of the Wendigo.

“Shit… fuck, fuck.” Edward sighed, taking a couple of steps back. “You guys know what to do.” He nodded at the four, watching Élise as she nodded.

“Yeah.”

“No one leave. Okay? It’s not safe out there.” He paused, gauging everyone’s reaction. “I’ll be back soon.” At that, he walked out the basement and out the double doors to the Sanatorium. Afterwards, Élise walked past the frowning Arno, who looked like he was about to break down.

“Are you okay?” Claudia asked him, putting a hand on his arm.

“He was right there…” Arno whispered, shaking his head. 

“What the flamethrower dude?”

“Oui… the weird guy… I got him killed.” He looked horrified to admit it, his worst fears realized when he accidentally step on a twig and made it snap in half, almost killing them both. 

“Was it… the Wendigo?” Claudia asked, sitting beside him.

“Yeah. He was definitely not lying about that.” Folding his left arm under his right, he took a deep breath. 

“Dio mio. What did it look like?” He hesitated, answering Claudia’s question would only bring back haunting memories of what happened minutes before. He’s trying with all his heart to forget it.

“Like, like a… like a person only… but just… distorted somehow.” As he spoke about the monster, Élise took a seat at the table just across from the three, opening the journal that was in the Stranger’s bag.

## 04:51, Old Hotel, Élise

_‘This journal is an account of the Wendigo._

_This creature is real and dangerous!!_

_If you are reading this, you will have questions. But I do not have all the answers. This is all evidence and stories of my own experience.’_

Élise said nothing, though she pursed her lips as she turned the page.

_‘Only a few men have dared hunt the Wendigo. I am the only man who has kept them under control. Heed these words, or it shall be your death. And your death will not be the last. The Wendigo must be contained!_

_The Wendigo grows out of **CANNIBALISM**! When a human is desperate and craves food, trapped on the mountain in the fierce winter storms, when he has eaten nothing for many days, the Wendigo spirit will begin to possess him. Even the strongest man is weak to it. He will kill without remorse - often those companions who have traveled with him. He will eat the flesh raw from the corpses._

_I have seen this happen, for many years ago, a craving for flesh that cannot be sated. And then the change begins. The eyes turn first and become milky and white. Then the teeth become longer, like fangs. The creature grows and the skin is pulled taut across the bones.’_

“This guy’s a little OCD.” Élise muttered, shaking her head as she turned the page.

_‘There was a tribe who lived in these mountains. The Cree. Their shamans tell stories of a tall creature “born in ice”. The tribe respected the mountain and all the animals which lived on it. The mountain became sacred to the Cree. Every animal became sacred also. The Cree believed it was bad luck to harm an animal on the mountain and would hunt elsewhere._

_In 1893, the miners arrived. They found tin and later, traces of radium. They mined deep into the sacred mountain. The Cree says that the mountain cried out and the spirit was released.’_

“There’s a lot of history to this.” Falling on deaf ears, she continued talking to herself.

_‘The Wendigo’s eyes change. They become both sharper and more dim. The Wendigo sees movement. It is a hunter, like a hawk. But it cannot see stillness. If you are to keep totally still then the Wendigo will not be able to see you._

_The skin and flesh of the Wendigo are hard, like armor. They seem to feel no pain. They cannot be cut or stabbed. Bullets will not pierce their skin, though a shotgun will keep them at bay._

_Because the Wendigo is mutated from a human, it knows how to hunt us. It can perfectly mimic its prey. You must remain sharp and disciplined._

_I have killed 6 Wendigos. Knives or bullets will not harm them. Use a flamethrower. It is the best weapon. Fire envelops them, burns away their skin and makes them weak._

_But try NOT to kill them._

_Killing a Wendigo should be the last resort. Death releases the Wendigo spirit into the air._

_I have contained them. I used traps to catch them into cages. The traps were baited with human limbs from those who had no further use for them._

_One by one I caught those who had infested the mountain.’_

Shocked, Élise turned towards the group. “This says because the Wendigo’s are mutated from humans, when they hunt us, they know how to perfectly mimic their prey…” She paused, thinking her eyes are playing tricks on her like the experiment in the shed.

_‘There may be defenses. Shamans wrote of rituals. I have found native artifacts on the mountain, and copied them. Totems. Bunches of herbs and feathers. I copied their designs. I have tested them. Out on the mountain they work. They keep the Wendigo at bay. Not entirely, but enough. But inside buildings, they do not work._

_Cree legends say that the Wendigo grows from the bite of another Wendigo. But the bite is harmless, I have been bitten, but I did not change. The only way is to eat the flesh of another. There is no other way.’_

“Oh… oh no no no no no.” Élise muttered, shaking her head. Claudia immediately rose to her feet at the red head’s words.

“What? What is it? What does it say?” She asked, taking the book out of Élise’s hands. Scanning her eyes over the words, she cursed quietly. “Shit. Shit-shit-shit… We’ve got to get to Edward, like now!” Claudia gazed at the group, putting the book down and quickly stepping out of the basement. Standing, one-by-one the group followed the brunette out, while Arno tried to keep up with his throbbing leg.

* * *

## Eighth Session

Dr. Kenway and Jacob sat across from each other, both appearing to be an uncomfortable amount of calm. Haytham’s hand were folded on his stomach, one leg over the other as he gazed upon the injured Jacob. There was a large gash across the right side of Jacob’s forehead from Edward hitting him with the pistol. Various trees are around them, though, the roof of the office is still intact. The windows boarded up, the walls molded, and strong winds that shook Jacob to the core. “Oh Jacob…” Haytham muttered. “You should have listen to me.” His hands spread out, head tilted down. “Because of your choices, people have _died_.” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I don’t know which is worse… actively triggering events that lead to someone’s death… or passively allowing a tragedy to **occur**.” Jacob breathing started to get heavy, lowering his head in guilt and pressing his shaking hands to his temples. “Because you couldn’t list a god damned **finger** to help someone else…” Dr. Kenway paused for a moment, watching Jacob as he rocked back and forth in the red, leather chair. “Remember last year? Huh? How you left your poor sister to **_die_**?” He uncurled his fingers, leaning his weight on the desk to emphasize his point. “You did _nothing_ to help her!” A frown grew, eyebrows lowering to show his disappointment towards the teen. “Paralyzed by your own self-centered fear while a real threat was closing in.” Lifting his head, Jacob locked eyes with the angry therapist. His shaking fingers stroked his cheeks, eyes darting in every direction. He was scared, terribly scared. **He didn’t like what he was hearing**. “No, it’s all about you, Jacob. It’s always all about you!” Reaching towards a tissue box, Dr. Kenway plucked one of the tissues out, extending it towards the shaking Jacob. Lifting his gloved hand, Jacob reached out towards the tissue. But, the winds blew it out of Dr. Kenway’s grip, them both looking at the paper as it blew away. Shaking his head, Haytham sighed deeply, pushing the photo of the scarecrow aside. “Your game has gone terribly wrong…” He leaned back into his chair, once again crossing his legs and placing his folded hands on his stomach. “…and your friends, like your sister, has deserted you. You are all alone.” One corner of his lips arched up, smirking down at the poor boy. “Can you **feel** how cold your loneliness has become?” Another frown appeared on his face, tilting his head as he spoke slowly. “Why did you hurt them?” He paused, eyebrows lowering to stare at Jacob angrily. “Jacob Frye, why did you hurt them?” Jacob breathed heavily, pursing his lips as he thought about the question.

  * **I Didn’t Hurt Anyone**
  * **They Hurt Me**



“I…” Jacob gulped thickly, running his tongue over his dry lips. “I didn’t **hurt** anyone.” He shook his head, eyes wide with fright as he leaned his weight on his legs. Dr. Kenway raised an eyebrow, a scoff leaving his lips at Jacob’s words.

“Oh, but of course you did. They were your friends, you mislead them, you **_lied_** to them, and you put them through a night of genuine horror.” He whispered, making Jacob’s stomach cave in. _Had he really lied to his friends?_ With raised eyebrows, Jacob blinked twice.

  * **I’m So Sorry**
  * **It Was Just A Game**



Gulping thickly once again, his mouth fell open to speak, but all that came out was a gasped cry. “I-I’m so sorry!” Jacob breathed, shaking his head as Dr. Kenway gave a neutral hum. 

“Let’s hope that it is not too late for atonement.” He smiled sadly, nodding his head. “And that your friends, if they still are your friends, can save you from this terrible isolation.” Jacob’s breath hitched, then he lowered his head and cradled it. 


	10. Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward travels back to the Sanatorium looking for Jacob, while the rest of the group search for Edward to warn him about the Wendigos.

##  **Despair, Two Hours Until Dawn**

Picking up a torch, Edward flicked open his lighter and set the end of the wood on fire. “Now I just need a pitchfork and a mob.” He muttered, grabbing a handful of the ammo on the small box and stuffing it in the miner jacket he found earlier. “Good enough.” Then, he picked up a saw-off shotgun, stepping back from the wooden desk as he was finally ready to head out and find Jacob.

## 05:03, Sanatorium, Edward

Trying to open a locked door, he cleared his throat. “Right…” Pointing the gun at the lock, he shot, busting the rusted object off the knob. With a grunt, he kicked the door open, taking careful steps in to make sure nothing would jump out at him. From behind a turned over hospital bed, a gray wolf emerged quietly, making Edward huff a laugh. “Hey big guy!” He cheered.

_As the wolf barked and nearly clawed at him, Edward backed off, making the wolf walk back to the place it was laying. He fed it a bone, in which still had meat on it, and petted the soft fur with a happy grin._

“Happy to see me again, huh?” He bent down, once again running his fingers through the soft fur. “Heyyy! I was hopin’ I’d run into you again.” The wolf let out a small gruff, panting when Edward pulled back. “Good boy. Alright pal, you’re comin’ with me.” Clenching the torch and saw-off shotgun, he looked down at the animal. “Alright. Here’s the plan. I happened to see a map of this place, so we’re not flying blind.” He shrugged, pointing to the back entrance that lead to another part of the building. “There should be a way into the psychiatric wing that’ll take us right outside the mine.” He took a step forward, smiling at the panting pup. “Think we can handle that?” The wolf barked softly, walking ahead of the male. “Couldn’t have said it better myself. Atta boy.”

* * *

With the wolf close beside him, Edward stepped into a wide room. It was a mess, destroyed, he suspected the miners went insane with the Wendigo’s spirit inside them and went rogue, completely destroying the place. Age seemed to do this place some bad deeds as well, concrete from the ceiling had fell, falling on top some dusty hospital beds and tables. Biting his lip, Edward continued forward, keeping the weapon by his side. But, a small can near some fallen concrete stirred and Edward jumped. _Something was in it_. Pointing his gun at it, he lowered his eyebrows, ready to shoot. But, almost after 2 seconds, a rat emerged, making him huff. “Fuckin’ rat.” Only, when he turned to walk forward, a Wendigo was crouched on top one of the fallen chunks of concrete. A loud screech came from it, and Edward took a step back. Then, it lunged at him, arms spread wide with the very intention to end him. Only, with his finger on the trigger, he shot!  “Ha! Ha! How’s that feel you fuck?” He shouted as the Wendigo fell a few feet in front of him. Grabbing his barrings, Edward ran ahead with Wolfie close behind him. Shaking his head, the Wendigo then snarled, chasing after the two by jumping onto walls–much like a spider. With the torch raised to light his way, Edward was forced to stop as a diversion in his path. “Jaysus! Fuck fuck!” He hissed.

  * **Go Left**
  * **Straight Ahead**



Cursing quietly, he continued on the path straight ahead. “Shit! Shit shit!” He skidded to a stop as he went past a barred door, putting his shaking hands on the edge and pulling it shut. Then, the Wendigo jumped at him, grabbing ahold of the steel bars and screeching at him. “Shit Shit!” Pointing his gun at the creature, he shot, making the human-like thing lose its grip on the bars, then leave. Panting heavily, Edward watched as it left, but, the flame on the torch died, and he was left in an eerie darkness. Dropping the torch, “…what the? Oh fuck… fuck fuck fuck… **FUCK**!” He slid the door back open, slowly so he wouldn’t alert the Wendigo who couldn’t be that far away from him. “No way… no fucking way this is happening.” He muttered, putting both hands on the saw-off shotgun and stepping out the makeshift jail cell. ‘ _I have to go back, it’s a dead end’_. He took a deep breath, starting to step more faster towards the room he saw earlier. But, the Wendigo had heard him, and screeched at him from the stairs. Crawling onto the walls, it lunged at Edward, razor sharp fangs hanging out from its mouth. In a split second, Edward shot the Wendigo,  “URGH! Oof! That get ya? That get ya you fucker?!” Taking his chance, Edward ran into the room, slamming the door shut and locking it. Looking from the door to a green file cabinet on the side. “God damn!” He said, pulling the cabinet until it collapsed in front of the door, prolonging the Wendigo from getting him. 

* * *

Walking into the next room,Edward sharply turned with his gun aimed in front of him, ready to shoot the Wendigos that infested the Sanatorium. “Dammit… Alright… come on you son of a bitch.” He spoke, walking with Wolfie down the hallway. “Where are you?” He crouched, sea blue eyes scanning the jail cells. A screech was heard down the hallway, and Edward jumped, pointing the barrel of his gun towards the noise. “Wha-! Huh?” Gulping thickly, he took a few more steps forward, not feeling very good about the unusual silence. “Dammit… what the? What?” Stepping too close to a cell, a Wendigo hops down from above, reaching out to grab him. Jumping back, Edward stared wide-eyed at the creature, watching as it hissed, then stepped back into the shadows. “When is this shit gonna stop?! Jesus Chr- It’s like a fucking bad dream… ok…” He muttered, breathing heavily through his nose. Walking past a cell to the left, a hand slowly reached out, before Edward quickly dodged it as it made a swipe at him. “Whoa. Fuck this…” He whispered, stepping down the long hallway. More Wendigos appeared, reaching out towards him from their cells. _These must’ve been the Wendigos the Stranger contained here_. Edward thought, spinning on his heels when a Wendigo behind a broken door snarled at him. “One at a time, boys.” He taunted with a smug smirk. “There’s enough of me for all a'ya.” As he said this, another arm reached out with the intention of grabbing Edward’s ankle. But, he felt the sharp nails on his sock, and he hopped back.  “Argh! Argh! Get off!” Aiming his gun at the Wendigo, he shot, sending it back with a small grunt. Walking forward, he could see a passage that lead to another room, almost causing him to make a run for it. But, another Wendigo jumped down from the ceiling, reaching out unexpectedly to grab him. With wide eyes, Edward stumbled back, hearing a screech from in front of him. “Whoa!” He shouted as a Wendigo from the jail cell jumped out at him, arms spread and ready to pounce on him. But, its hands were wrapped in cloths, tied tightly to its wrists, and a chain was around its neck, preventing it from touching Edward. “Oh Jesus… Oh Jesus… Fuck… fuck fuck.” Edward shook his head, running down the passage with Wolfie behind him. At the end of the hallway, Edward opened the door, closing and locking it as soon as he got through. Finally out of that nightmare, Edward, almost tiredly, walked towards a flight of stairs that lead to the Psychiatric Ward. After these past few hours, Edward was running on fumes and instinct, if he didn’t get those keys, they wouldn’t make it out alive. Biting his lip, Edward looked out the windows, seeing the snow falling more harshly than the early hours. If he made it, he surely will be ill, and not just with grief. As he was thinking, a Wendigo appeared from the top of the stairs, screeching loudly once he saw Edward. Stopping, he turned towards the noise, only to gasp. “Fuck.” He swore, turning to run once more. Running down the hallway, Edward could see a door with a rusted lock on it in the distance. Raising the shotgun, he shot, blasting the lock off the door. “Fuck!” He cursed loudly, banging his shoulder against the door and opening it. Then, he slammed the door shut, taking deep breaths as the Wendigo was heard climbing on the chain linked fence.

  * **Barricade**
  * **Escape**



Running past the door and down the hallway, he reached the entrance where he climbed up before, jumping down and landing with a strong huff. Turning, he caught sight of Wolfie stepped towards the hole, looking down upon him. “Hey buddy… come on down…” Edward cooed, extending his arms towards the wolf. “It’s alright…” But, the door he just went through slammed open, and Wolfie looked behind him. He was dragged off just as a screech was heard. Collapsing on the floor, Wolfie laid limp, making Edward’s mouth go agape. “What the  _fuck_?!” He whispered, clenching the handle of the shotgun, taking a few steps back before running off. Past the barrels and up the stairs, Edward clenched his fist, banging his shoulder against the door to try and force it open, but it didn’t budge. Cursing quietly, he turned from the door when he heard the sound of the approaching Wendigo. It hopped down from above, landing on its feet and hands, screeching at the blonde with teeth bared. Milky white eyes only stared Edward down, while the creature took to the walls to catch Edward. Holding the shotgun with both hands, he pulled the trigger and shot the Wendigo back, watching as it fell onto the flammable barrels. Then, the second Wendigo made its appearance, on top the wooden table next to the barrels. Narrowing his eyes, Edward took his aim, letting the bullet hit the barrels and blow. Gasping, Edward then opened the doors and took off, but the explosion sent him back. He fell to the snow covered ground, groaning softly.

A small screech echoed throughout the Sanatorium, and the orange flame of the Wendigo’s spirit was released into the air, making Edward stand with haste and take off down the path. But, from the ashes of the burning doors, a clawed hand rose, clenching into a fist as soon as Edward was out of sight.

* * *

Deep down in the mines, it was completely silent save for the creaks of old wood and leakage from rusted pipes. In the small area of the mines, the collapsed elevator shaft rested in between large boulders and the ground floor. A boy rested on the cold floor, incredibly injured, with blood seeping through the wounds decorating his body. A pained moan left his lips, moving his tired limbs closer as he regained consciousness. He opened his brown eyes, one slightly droopy due to the cuts on his right eyebrow.  “Oh… merda!” He gasped, curling his shaking fingers around the chain linked floor and pushing himself to his feet. A hand covered in dirt rose to inspect the damage done, only for the brunette to bit his lip in pain. “Oh dio mio…” He ached, he was cold, and scared. Sniffing, he stepped over to a table where a dirty green jacket and boots were. He slid his feet into the boots first, small huffs and gasped leaving his lips. Then, he took the jacket off the hook and slowly put it on. He rose a hand to placed it on his forehead, his form slightly hunched over from his craving for sleep. But, the monster was still out there, and if he stayed, he’ll surely die on that mountain. “Edward…” He whispered, bringing his hands to his chest and holding them close. A screech then echoed throughout the cave, making him turn around in fright and gasped quietly. _It’s here…_

* * *

## 05:16, Tunnel to Sanatorium, Élise

Walking through the cold underground, the four try to catch up with Edward. Claudia then turned to them, stopping when she realized they were going at a slow pace. “Come on guys! Hurry up! We gotta find Edward. Come on.” With a pained grunt, Arno leaned against the wall. 

“Hey… ahhh…” Arno let out a muffled groan, standing on his good leg. “I-I’m kinda gimping out here, guys… I think maybe you should go on without me.” He said, wanting them to find Edward as fast as possible without him slowing them down. Élise pursed her lips, flashlight pointed at the ground.

  * **Inquire  
** “You gonna be okay?”
  * **Reassure  
** “We’re not leaving you.”



She shook her head, putting a hand on his arm. “No. Arno. We are not leaving you. We’re sticking together. Edward will just have to wait.” She stated, patiently waiting for Arno to start walking with them. He took a deep breath, gently gripping her hand before standing up straight. Claudia and Altaïr sighed, walking ahead of the two. Though, Arno was limping, Élise didn’t want to stray too far away from him. They then arrived at the Sanatorium doors, Claudia tried to open them, but they weren’t budging. 

“Oh merda. Mike must have locked it behind him. There’s gotta be another way in.” She huffed, looking around. But, in front of Élise laid an entrance to the sewers, the only way they knew of.

“Wait, hey! What about this?” She asked, kneeling to look inside. Raising a curious eyebrow, Claudia stepped over to the redhead, bending with her hands on her knees.

“Oh… Huh.”

“I mean, should… should we try it?” Élise muttered, looking around to the group.

“Well it’s not like we got a whole lot of choices here…” Claudia chuckled fearfully, watching Élise reach for a heavy pipe. Picking it up, she placed the pipe into the handles, pushing it open with a loud grunt. The two women then bent down, picking the sticky cover up and pushing it to the side.

“Okay this is the last place I’d wanna be in right now.”

“So who’s going first?” Claudia gave a teasing smile to the group, whom stepped back from the manhole. Shaking her head, Claudia reached a leg down and placed it on the metal ladder. “Not so bad.” She spoke, soon climbing down further. “You think this is the tunnel to the Sanatorium?” She asked, to which Élise nodded.

“Of course it is. Where else would it go?” She muttered, shining the flashlight down so Claudia could see. With a scoff, Altaïr then climbed down, looking up towards the two left. “Arno… I know you’re hurt but you gotta move it, alright?” At her words, Arno sat at the edge of the manhole and waved a hand at her. 

“I’m tryin’, Éli…” He grunted, hanging his hurt leg off the ladder to lessen the pressure on it, though he breathed a hiss when he made impact on the ground. Once he was safely there, Élise made a move to climb down, but she stopped.

“Hey… um… we should close this, right?” She asked, making Claudia step towards her.

“Huh?”

“I mean what if something’s following us?” Looking up, Élise gazed over the opening, looking around.

“Yes, fine. Close it. But we gotta keep moving. Can you just catch up? Please?” Claudia asked, walking away from the entrance with Arno and Altaïr trailing behind her. 

“Yeah.” Élise called after them, soon reaching out to grasp the handle of the heavy lid. With a grunt, she pulled it over, hearing it clank loudly as it closed. 

* * *

Finding herself alone in the sewers, Élise treaded carefully in search of her group. On new grounds and alone, Élise easily felt the fear flooded through her. She wouldn’t dare look behind her, she didn’t want to face her fate when she’s so close to making it out. But then, she heard a cry. “Help me!” She stopped, finding a darkened cave to her left and the route she’s been following straight ahead.

“H-hello? Who’s there…?” She called, shining her flashlight to the cave below. “Anybody?” She heard another cry, along with a faint call for help that sounded a lot like one of her missing friends. “…Ezio? Is it you…?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in slight worry. 

  * **Investigate Voice**
  * **Rejoin Group**



Gasping quietly, Élise thinks back to the journal she read from Shay. 

_‘Because the Wendigo is mutated from a human, it knows how to hunt us. It can perfectly mimic its prey. You must remain sharp and disciplined._ ‘ 

Biting her lip, Élise turned away from the cave, instead, she continued going forward. “H-hello…?” She whispered, coming across a rock wall. Gripping the edge, she hoisted herself up and swung her legs over the ledge on the other side. With a huff, she jumped down, landing with a low groan. Then, Claudia, Altaïr and Arno turned, finding Élise had taken another way. Sighing in relief, Claudia grasped her arm, smiling. “Oh mon dieu, I am so glad to see you.” Élise said, making Arno smile as well.

“Glad you’re safe.” Claudia said, patting her arm before walking forward once more. But, arriving in a wide cave, they found a rock wall that was climbable. “Wow. Great.” The brunette muttered, walking forward. The ladder was broken they all realized.

“The ladder’s toast, we’re never going to make it up there!” Élise said, not wanting to mention Arno’s sprained ankle and Altaïr throbbing shoulder. 

“No no no, I think I can… I think I can do it.” Claudia muttered, walking forward. “It’s like… a rock wall. I’m gonna keep going. You should head back to the lodge I’ve gotta get Edward.” She waved at them, not walking forward again until they left for the basement. Élise nodded, making Arno and Altaïr turn back.

“Good luck!” She told Claudia, turning with the two men and walking away. 

* * *

A shrilling screech echoed throughout the caves, disturbing the peaceful balance in which it had. Seconds later, slight shuffles and a grunt was heard, a male falling limply from the high entrance of the cave. He landed hard on his right shoulder, arms laid to rest beside his head and legs slanted against the wall. He was unconscious, presumably from the Wendigo attacking him after Edward had left him tied in the shed. Another screech was heard, and the boy twitched, hands curling into fists at the sound. 

* * *

## 05:35, Mines, Claudia

Heading up the stairs, Claudia clenched her fists at her sides, looking around the wide cave. Only, rocks from above fell, the stairs behind her smashed with their force. “Ahh! Jesus!” She jumped, feeling her heart beat more than before. How could this have happened to all of them? All she wanted was to help Jacob get over the loss of Evie and have fun, not fight for her life against a threat bigger than any test she has taken. She didn’t get far in her walking when she hears something. It was along the lines of a thump, and she turned her head towards the noise, seeing nothing but the walls surrounding her. “What was that?” She asked herself, turning to her left to cross a bridge. From above, the rocks shook, and soon fell. They went through the bridge, shaking it fiercely, making Claudia nearly trip. Gasping, she held onto the metal railing, feeling it rattle under the brutal force the rocks gave it. When she felt the rocks would cease, she jumped over, bouncing a bit to keep her balance. Raising an eyebrow, Claudia found a pipe, one in an excellent state too. “Here we go.” She could use this. She pressed forward, gazing down at the wooden planks to make sure she wouldn’t fall to her death. A ledge was in the distance, as was a steel door with a lock. Swinging her legs over the edge, she pushed herself off, continuing on her way. But, the door opened, and there was Edward running in.

“Goddammit! Stay out there!” Trying to shut the door, Edward grunted loudly, only to be forced back by the Wendigo as it breaks in. Screeching, it pounced, landing on top of the struggling blonde. 

“Edward! Holy shit!” Claudia gasped, running towards the threat. “Hey!! FATTY! OVER HERE!!” Raising the pipe in the air, Claudia swung and hissed sharply as it made impact with the flaming Wendigo’s head. Growling, the Wendigo turned its attention to Claudia, who gripped the pipe more fiercely. Its arms in the air, he screeched and almost lunged at Claudia, but Claudia was already a step ahead. Swinging her weapon once more, she knocked its head clean off, its body immediately falling limp in front of Edward. Once he got up, he closed the door, keeping it secure with the saw-off shotgun. 

“Whoa. You alright?” He asked the brunette, panting somewhat heavily.

“Uhh, define _alright_.” She stressed the word, dropping the pipe beside her. Pursing his lips, Edward turned towards her, putting his hands on his hips.

“Alive, for a start.” He raised an eyebrow, giving a sideways smirk. Trying to find words, she nodded slowly.

“Yeah.” She whispered. “Yeah, alive’s good!” Stepping forward, he stopped when he was in front of her. 

“The hell are you doing here, anyway?” 

“I was gonna warn you about the Wendigos.” She said, as if it were obvious. Looking back towards the dead Wendigo, he sighed.

“I think I got it.”

“Yeah…” Pursing his lips, he patted her shoulder. 

“Let’s find a way down to where this fucker lives.” Nodding, they both walked off in search for Jacob and the keys to the cable car. 


	11. Repentance

##  **Repentance, One Hour Until Dawn**

## Ninth Session

Amongst all the darkness, dirt ground, and rock walls surrounding the two, Dr. Kenway’s desk stood out. Green lamp, his nametag, notebooks, and the green chair Dr. Kenway sat in. Popping his lips occasionally, Dr. Kenway smirked at the shaking boy in front of him, helpless, crying, scared, Dr. Kenway felt like his ‘mission’ was complete. Breaking the once conceited boy into this empty shell of grief, remorse, **sadness**. As he thought of this, Haytham stood from his comfortable chair, rounding the table to stand beside the younger twin. He then crouched, elbows upon his thighs, hands entwined by his cheek, Haytham raised an eyebrow.

“I wonder how much these ‘sessions’ are of any help to you now,” Haytham said, not even pitying the poor teen. “You just won’t listen to me and things seem pretty…” A hushed noise coming from the side made Haytham smirk, lowering his voice to a whisper. “… _ **fucked up**_.” Standing, Haytham stepped away from the crying boy. “So–I’m going to leaveyou now, Josh. It’s time, you learned, there is more to be afraid of, than can be dreamt up by the unhinged imagination of a self-indulgent, spoiled _little **brat**_ _!_ ” He turned back to Jacob, a heated glare on his usually calm face.“You had so many people who cared about you… who were willing to _help_! But at every turn, you chose to push them away… And now, you’re all _**alone**_.” His words were harsh, chilling Jacob to the bone. 

Breathing heavily, Jacob grabbed fistfuls of his dark brown hair, curling in on himself. With a huff of a laugh, Haytham turned away from him, holding his hands behind his back. “Though by the sounds of things, you won’t be alone for long.” Sucking his teeth, he shook his head. “No, you won’t be alone for long.” Leaving it at that, Haytham stepped away, looking off to the side. “Deep breaths, Jacob. Deep breaths…”

* * *

Sprawled out on the ground, Jacob grunted lowly, feeling a massive pain in his head from the fall. “Ugh…” He shook his head but froze suddenly.

“Frère Jacques,” a feminine voice started to sing. “Frere Jacques. Dormez vous?” Gasping, Jacob rose to his hands and knees, shaking his head.

“No, no,” he muttered, turning to he sat on the dirt ground. “No. No.” 

“Dormez vous? Sonnez les matines! Sonnez les matines!” Making haste to stand up, Jacob started protesting, hearing a voice he would never forget. 

“No. No. No. Not again!” He remembers all the bad memories of twisting around in his bed, sweating profoundly, hearing his **sister’s** voice in his head, **mocking** him, **_threatening_** him. 

“Ding dang dong.”

“Not again!” He yelled, turning to try and find the source of the voice. It wasn’t in his head, it wasn’t in his head, it’s **not** in his head! **It’s not in his head**! Where’s Evie?!

“Ding dang dong.” 

“Get away!” Waving his hands violently, Jacob tried to make her go away. “Get away from me!” He shouted, eyes wide and fearful. He then covered his ears, but new voices taunted him, loud as ever. “No! You’re dead!”

“Sorry.” He could hear Dr. Kenway whisper.

“You’re dead!!!” Jacob shouted once more.

“You can’t change what happened last year.” Stomach caving in and heart racing, Jacob was helpless, just like Dr. Kenway said, he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t stop the voices!

“Jacob,” Evie said in a soft tone, making Jacob shake even more.

“Shut up!”

“I miss you, Jacob.”

“No! You’re dead!” He retorted, his breath growing heavy and uneven, what was happening?

“Come with me.”

“A goddamn murderer is what you are!” Edward yelled, making Jacob stop in his tracks and nod his head, eyes looking down at the brown ground.

“…it’s not ready…” He muttered.

“You manipulated us!” Arno hissed.

“No, they’re gonna love it…” Jacob released a breathy chuckle, 

“You’re a coward!” They were all taunting him, like some kid!

“I just want us to have a good time.” Biting his lip, Jacob nodded, wanting nothing more than for everyone to forget about Evie and Henry going missing.

“Are you insane?!” Arno practically screamed in his face, sending his thoughts all to the trash.

“They’re gonna love it when it’s ready.” Jacob took a deep breath.

“Oh my god no!” Élise screamed, the younger Frye twin remembering when he knocked out Arno for his experiment.

“Hello there.” He heard the Psycho’s voice echo.

“I don’t take orders from you… you can’t tell me what to do…” Jacob whined, putting his hands over his ears once again.

“Jacob! I don’t know what’s going on!” Élise cried out.

“How does it make you feel?” The Psycho taunted.

“…you can’t tell me what to do anymore…” Breath hitching, Jacob started to nod along with their words.

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Time has run out for Jacob!”

“Okay… okay…” He whispered.

“Come with me,” Evie whispered back.

“I trust you…”

“We’re out of time,” Haytham said, but Jacob only nodded.

“I trust you…” 

## 06:10, Mines, Jacob

Walking forward, Jacob looked around, violently shaking hands at his sides. But, as he approached a wall, a decayed Evie suddenly appeared, eyes wide and messy braided hair sticking out. “Jacob!” She whispered, making Jacob quiver in his shoes.

“No! No no no. You’re not real!” He shook his head, large hand clenching his shirt.

“I was all alone down there.” She tilted her head, crystal blue eyes glaring into Jacob’s hazel ones.

“No no… no no, not again.” He whispered, knowing full well he was hallucinating his missing sister. Turning away with a saddened frown, Jacob tries to walk away, but she appeared again, this time, behind him with a hand on his shoulder.

“All alone. But you’re with me now.” A chuckle left her, almost a sincere smile on her freckled cheeks.

“No! Get away!” He jumped away from her, eyes wide with terror.

“Family.” She stood in her place, watching Jacob as he clenched his fists and shouted.

“Get away from me… g-get away!!” He screamed, a heated glare on his scarred face.

“Why didn’t you save me, Jacob?” She suddenly asked, making him take a deep and shuddering breath.

“I didn’t!” He muttered.

“Why did you want me to die?” His eyes widened once again, lowering his eyebrows in a scared tone.

“I didn’t want you to die- I swear!” He spread his arms towards her, but it went dark, her disappearing from view. Turning, Jacob slowly stepped on the dirt ground, now coming across a wall with oozing pink skin on it. “N-! No!” He cried, shaking his head at the wall. Soon, a machete cut through the wall, slicing up from the skin. From it, a squealing pig emerged, looking down at Jacob. Clenching his fist, Jacob charged forward and punched the pig in the chin, exclaiming in disgust when it dropped to the ground, eyes rolling to the back of its head. From it, entrails began to move around, making Jacob put a hand on his mouth. “Please! Please no… please no…” He wiped his eyes, still seeing a towering figure standing over him. Evie. She was covered in blood, and almost unrecognizable. 

“Jacob!” She gasped in an inhuman voice. 

“No no n-n-n-no… I don’t… I don’t take orders from you! No…” He shook his head, fearing what she would do. Looking down, Evie raised her arms and dug into the skin of her forehead, ripping it open to reveal a skull. 

“Is this what you want?” She asked, stepping closer to Jacob as he screamed in disgust. 

“NO! **NO**! Why are you doing this?!” He stepped back from her, waving his arm around in an angry way. “Leave me alone!! Why are you doing this?!”

“Why didn’t you save me, Jacob?” Evie taunted him, eyes almost bulging out. 

“You’re dead… you’re dead!” He repeated, pointing an accusing finger at her. 

“Why did you want me to die?” When she was finished, Jacob faced the same wall with the oozing pink skin. His stomach fluttered, making gagging sounds as a face emerged from the wall. It was a Wendigo with crystal, blue eyes, screeching at Jacob. “Jacob!” It called, making Jacob face it in fear.

* * *

## 06:00, Mines, Claudia

“I think we’re close. To the lair.” Claudia said, walking through the caverns with Edward leading the way.

“How can you tell?” He asked, shining his flashlight around to see where they were going. Claudia showed reluctance in answering his question, but swallowed it down.

“I don’t know… I just… feel really terrible all of a sudden.” She said, smiling softly when Edward chuckled.

“Ditto.” He commented, approaching a long lake when they walked further.

“I really don’t want to go in there…” Claudia said quickly, stepping back when Edward looked down at the mucky water.

“There’s no other way through.” He raised an eyebrow, looking at the brunette from the corner of his eyes. Claudia frowned, but sighed anyway.

“Fine. I’m going in.” Even after that, she hesitated, watching Edward slightly as he sat at the ledge, slowly putting his foot in, before hopping in. He released a hushed breath, the cold temperature quickly spreading through his legs and lower stomach, it’s really cold!

“Come on. It’s okay.” He whispered, holding his hands together and walking forward.

“You sure…?” She asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’m not dead yet.”

“Famous last words.” Claudia muttered, sitting on the ledge, before jumping in as well. She took in a sharp breath, the biting cold reacting negatively against her shaking limbs.

“It’s freezing. I can’t feel my fingers.” She whispered, walking forward to try and get her legs to work. They both then started walking forward at a steady pace, quickly clenching their teeth when the water started to get higher.

“Holy shit.”

“Wait a minute. I thought you’d reach the deepest part.” Claudia croaked, raising her arms to avoid getting them wet.

“I didn’t say that. I said it was okay, meaning like there weren’t any sharks or anything in here.” He’d rather it just stay to Wendigos and not sharks.

“Sharks. Great! Thank you.” She rolled her eyes, looking to the left side and finding a small area just shy of the water works. She headed towards it, looking at the ledge hopefully. When she reached it, she grasped the gray sand and hoisted herself up, the cold air chilling her legs worse than the water did. Edward followed her lead. They both then shook their clothes, the water dripping to the ground as they did so. Claudia then notices some type of journal on the ground, and steps towards it. Kneeling down to an open book, Claudia calls to Edward. “Here… look!” He too kneeled down, looking at the surprisingly neat writing that seemed familiar to him. 

_‘Day 1_

_The love of my life is dead. The fall killed him… I watched the color drain from his face. My leg is broken. I’m all alone, stuck here with Henry’s body. Someone will come soon.’_  

Pursing her lips, Claudia flipped to the next page.

_‘Day 5  
_

__I’ve never been so **HUNGRY**. It feels like my stomach is twisting around inside. I took Henry’s sweater. Much warmer now. He’s still looking out for me._   
_

_Day 30  
_

__I’m sorry Henry. I have no choice. I’m **DYING**. It’s the only way I can survive any more. If someone finds this I’m **SORRY**. I had to. I had no choice. Forgive me Henry. I’m sorry._   
_

_‘Day 33_

_My hands feel unclean._

_My nails fell out **PUSHED OUT**_

_I am aching but no more **COLD NO PAIN**_

_I am getting stronger!!_ ’

“What does it mean… Jaysus…” Edward sighed, almost fearing what is on the last page. Hesitantly flipping to the last page, Claudia gasped sharply. There were only scribbles on it, but she could make out  **‘HUNGRY’** and **‘HENRY’** written on the paper. “So… so what? What does that mean? Did she kill him, too? Her own friend?!” Edward nearly shouted, eyes wide with fear at the discovery.

“I-I don’t know!” Claudia answered, standing straight when the blond did.

“How the hell could they even stay alive down here?!” He asked, directing the question to not just her, but to anyone that was willing to hear. The answers were not making sense to him, and he couldn’t wrap his head around that.

“I don’t know, Edward!” She said once more.

“There has to be an answer down here!”

“Edward… just… calm down.” She tried to reassure him, but only succeeded in making him even more confused. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and turning away, ready to get back into the water and find Jacob. “Let’s just focus on getting Jacob and getting out of here.” Now standing beside him, she lowered herself to the ledge, and jumped in after Edward. They both shivered violently again, but calmed down after getting used to it. Taking careful and wise steps through the water, Edward held the flashlight up to look around the cave with Claudia trailing behind him. But, she started panicking as the water grew deeper. 

“It’s getting deeper.” Edward gasped, stomach fluttering with the water lapping around his chest.

“Yeah, um…” She whispered, growing restless when the water nearly overlapped her shoulder, but, sighed in relief when the water started going back down again.

“Okay- okay- Hey, it’s sloping up again. We’re gonna make it.” He was slightly joking around, but Claudia wasn’t buying it.

“Oh my god don’t jinx it!” She shook her head, quickly making a break for the ledge when she caught sight of it.

“Come on, come on, we made it.” Edward smiled, hands pushing him up from the water and onto solid ground once more. Claudia followed his lead, taking a deep breath and shaking the water from her clothes, even though it did nothing. She then took the lead, walking on shaky legs towards a metal door with handle similar to the one leading to the Sanatorium. Pulling it, she let out a small shout as sharply opened, water pouring out, along with a head that make Edward and her both jumped back.

“Whoa!!” Edward shouted. “Oh whoa whoa…” His voice lowered to a whisper, pointed to the head that he almost recognized as the Stranger that helped them only hours before. “Jaysus… she…” He couldn’t form words, he was still too shocked to see something dead even after all those Wendigos in the hospital. “Jee…” Carefully stepping over the head, they both walk into the room, leaving the door ajar. Only, they didn’t see the figure in the water, watching them silently. As the pair disappeared into the next room, the figure lured forward, bowing its head into the water and vanishing from sight.

* * *

Raising an eyebrow, Claudia slowly stepped forward. “You see that…?” She asked, noticing something hanging from the ceiling. 

“Yeah…” Edward answered, looking up with a remorseful frown.

“…the old man…” Against her wishes, Claudia suddenly felt sick, throat tightening up with her heaving breaths.

“Yeah. Oh…” He hesitated, not wanting to say anything before thinking. “Oh my god…” He muttered, “I’m gonna be sick.” As they turned away from the hanging body, Edward put a hand on the wooden wall and fought with his will power to not puke, he’s seen enough for one night. But, he saw something between the boards, and he called to Claudia. “Wait wait wait! Hold on. I think I saw something…” Grabbing her bearings, Claudia peered through the boards as well, biting her lip when she caught sight of who it was.

“No… no no…” The almost hushed voice of Jacob echoed through the cavern, panicked even. “No no no… I don’t… I don’t take orders from you…” His voice took a pleading tone, eyes squinting in his fear.

“Jacob!” Claudia called, looking around for some way to get to him. Edward was one step ahead of her though, and pushed through a wooden door.

“I don’t take orders from you, you can’t tell me what to do…” Jacob whimpered again, shaking his head as if something was attacking him. 

“Hey… Hey, Jacob!” Edward cautiously called, noticing something was indeed wrong with Jacob and it wasn’t just his imagination.

“You can’t tell me what to do anymore!” His voice grew in volume, the pleading in his voice growing as well.

“Jacob? Buddy?” Edward called once more, slowly approaching the hallucinating boy.

“You can’t tell me what to do!” He then shouted, clenching his fists beside his head, but then slowly ran his fingers through his unruly hair. “Oh… okay… okay… I trust you…” He said. “I trust you…” He said once more. “I trust you…”

* * *

His hazel eyes wide with terror, mouth agape, hands shaking, Jacob couldn’t stop the scene in front of him from being too gruesome.

“What’s the matter with him, Edward?” The slight echo of a familiar voice rang in his ears, but from who, he couldn’t tell.

“He’s tripping or something.” Edward said, before slapping the shaking boy in the face. “Jacob!” The blond called, quickly shaking Jacob from the tricks his brain was playing on him to look him straight in the eyes. Jacob recognized him, and he couldn’t help stuttering his name out. “Jacob… Hey man-” Edward started, but stopped once Jacob’s eyes grew wide again.

“Don’t h-hit me, p-please-” He softly clenched his fists in front of him, incase the person in front of him wasn’t actually his friend. Edward drew back, putting his hands on his hips. 

“You were deep in it, man. Full mental jacket.” He chuckled dryly, pearly white teeth practically shining as he gave a grin to reassure Jacob, whom he now knows is suffering.

“We didn’t think we’d get you back…” Claudia muttered, putting a hand on the bloody overalls the brunette wore. “Jacob…” She then started, eyes averting from the broken gaze he was giving her. “Evie was down here for… weeks… a month?! She dug Henry up!” Her words were almost jumbled together, someone normal wouldn’t have been able to understand her, but Jacob did, and he clenched his fists as her words.

“Ev-”

“Claudia…” Edward interrupted Jacob, doing everything in his might to not have him think of his sister at a time like this.

“Edward…” She turned to the blond, eyebrows knitting together in a slight glare, before noticing the pointed look he was giving her.

“Let’s just focus on getting the fuck out of here.” He looked around, not seeing any way to go unless they go through the wooden door again. Claudia agreed, stepping forward to once again put her hand on Jacob’s arm.

“Okay… Jacob, do you have the key for the cable car?” She asked, extending her hand when he nodded.

“Uh… Y-yeah… Here.” Reaching into his pocket, Jacob pulled out the yellow key, dropping it into Claudia’s hand. She cheered silently, finally something good happened. She then looked around, finding a light coming down from above, where Jacob fell. Looking towards the two, she pointed to the light.

“See that over there? That means there’s a direct way out. C'mon.” She stepped over first, keeping an ear out for Jacob’s limping steps as she did so. But, she soon figured out that it was a long way up, and Edward spoke once he stopped beside her.

“There’s no way Jacob is gonna make it up there.” He pursed his lips, tilting his head towards Jacob who was gazing up the steep wall as well. Claudia cursed quietly, turning towards the two males, before coming up with an idea.

“Okay. If you can help me up I can go back to tell the others we’re okay.” It took a few seconds to sink in, before Edward nodded, kneeling in front of her.

“Yeah… Yeah, good.” He said, entwining his hands together so Claudia could climb on them. “Be careful.” At his words, she stepped on his hands and grasped the edge of the wall.

“You too.” With that, she hoisted herself up and swung her leg over the hard rocks. Edward then grabbed his flashlight, and turned towards the exit.

“Alright, let’s go you fucked up son of a bitch.” He said to Jacob, who almost reluctantly followed.

* * *

## 06:24, Mines, Connor

Jumping down from the metal fence, Connor groaned quietly as his tired limbs have had enough of running in the mines, trying to find a way out. He looked around, seeing no threat ready to cut his limbs off, just an open area that was no different from what he’d been climbing through. Wincing at the pain from the cut on his head, he stepped over to the wooden table with a lantern and lighter on it. Picking it up, he flicked it, and the lantern, open. Moving the lighter to the fuel cap, he let the old lantern light up, flicking the lighter closed. He then picked the lantern up by the handle, turning to his left to look around, before his right. But, a figure appeared, swinging a shovel aimed directly for his face.

“Woah!” Connor grabbed the shovel before it could hit him, the holder screamed in fright as the lantern illuminated his face only a little bit. It was Ezio! “Ezio? Is that you?” Eyes widening in fright, Connor looked the brunette up and down, the amount of cuts littering his body… “Jesus Ezio, what the hell happened to you? How the fuck are you still alive?” With his right eyebrow lowering slowly, Ezio gazed down upon himself, the miner jacket covering his dirtied t-shirt and boots on his aching feet. 

“Yeah…” He shook his head, hissing quietly in pain as he did so. 

  * **Inform  
** “Not alone up here.”
  * **Question  
** “What happened to you?” 



“How did you end up here?” Connor asked, putting a hand on his shoulder so Ezio could stay focused.

“Edward and I were… we were messing around and… and… then it was… we…” He was incoherent, looking around with squinted eyes as he tried to explain.

“What…?”

“I don’t- I don’t know…” Ezio shook his head, “I was by the window and there was all this glass and… it was in the snow and then… it was… moving so fast, _fuck_ …” He dragged out the swear, remembering the biting claws and how quick it dragged him underground. “And then I was, I was down here…”

“Jesus…” Connor whispered, gripping the lantern with shaking hands. All this information was a lot to take in. He had not yet seen the monster everyone was talking about, so he had no idea what it was capable of.

“…Oh God…” Ezio suddenly leaned forward, unsteady on his quivering legs. Connor gripped his shoulder more, concern etched on his face.

“Can you move?” 

“Yes…” He muttered, nodding only once.

“Come on, Ezio.”

* * *

Stepping past the various tool stands and over the rail tracks, Connor keeps an eyes on Ezio, who’s walking much more slower than he is. This concerns Connor, for he doesn’t know how tired Ezio is. Just when he turns back to head into another tunnel, a very loud screech echos throughout, making him jump. “Huh…” Then, Ezio gasped, clenching the jacket as he started to stumble forward.

“Fuck…” He shook his head fearfully, looking up at Connor.

“E-Ezio?!” Connor then knew what it was, and he quickly moved towards the diversion of paths. One way, was a wall made up of wood with a small entrance they could squeeze through, the other was further down the tunnel. “Which way?”

  * **Hide**
  * **Run Ahead**



_We can’t keep running in Ezio’s condition… we have to hide._ Turning towards the wall, Connor looked at Ezio and motioned for him to go inside. “Alright come on Ezio.” Pursing his lips, Ezio walked past the giant, leaning against the wall to hide himself from the Wendigo. Connor quickly followed, ‘shhh’ing the whimpering Ezio and letting his arms fall to his sides. They then heard the growls and hisses of the monsters, claws scratching on the rock walls and leaping. Turning his head, Connor watched as it moved away from them, it’s strange figure making his heart ache painfully. That’s what injured Ezio? How did he even survive? He was snapped out of his thoughts when the Italian hissed, nearly falling, but Connor wrapped his free arm around him. He caught him just barely.

“Ah!” Ezio squeezed his eyes shut, clenching his fists in pain. Connor tried to hold him a bit more gently, but he didn’t want him to fall.

“Jeez… Does this hurt?” Connor asked, looking down at him.

“Oh god…” He sniffed, putting a hand on his arm. Connor expressed great concern, but only put a hand on Ezio’s back to lead him forward.

“Let’s go. We gotta get out of here.” He encouraged, smiling slightly when the injured brunette nodded.

* * *

A screech echoed throughout the tunnel, and Ezio whimpered softly when he could hear the claws scraping against the walls. “C-Connor…” He clenched his teeth, looking up at the giant as they both approached some cabinets with unknown chemicals. “W-We need to… run!” Almost on cue, another screech was heard, except it sounded closer. Connor clenched the lantern in his fist, then quickly ushered Ezio into another tunnel.

“Ezio!” He ran forward, keeping an eye on Ezio as he almost struggled to catch up. “Ezio, come on!” He nearly ran past a wooden wall, but Connor had come to a halt when he discovered the fork in the path.

  * **Hide**
  * **Run Ahead**



Pursing his lips, Connor turned to Ezio and pointed to the wall. “Come on, we can hide here.” With only slight reluctance, Ezio walked through the entrance of the spot, pressing himself against the wall to keep him standing while Connor followed behind. He too pressed himself to the wall, lowering his arms while the claws scraping against the wall grew closer. Almost holding their breath, they stood completely still at the Wendigo crawled on the rock wall across the wall, eyes narrowed in a heated glare and mouth pulled back to a snarl. It growled loud enough to hear, then leaped the way it came. Connor breathed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes, only to quickly reached out a hold Ezio close as the brunette almost fell. Ezio whimpered softly and clenched his fists, shaking his head in pain and exhaustion, “does this hurt?” Connor asked, noting his whimpering.

“Oh god…” Ezio hissed, bowing his head while Connor ushered them out from the hiding spot. 

“Let’s go, we need to keep going, get out of here.” Looking around, Connor moved forward when he caught no sight of the monster. Meeting Ezio’s eyes, he jogged with the lantern in front of him. “Come on, come on.” Ezio pushed himself run once more, huffs leaving his lips and worried eyes casting looks behind him to check if the Wendigo had come back. But, the scraps on the walls returned, and Connor quickly start running with a weak Ezio slowly falling behind. “Ezio!” He called, before the Wendigo returned, quickly noticing them running away.

When Connor was faced with another path, he stopped, wide eyes looking between the wall and the path that curved to the left, a closed door at the end. 

  * **Hide Together**
  * **Abandon Ezio**



Clenching his fist, Connor ran towards the wall and broke through it. He didn’t expect to be outside again, and nearly fall off the side of a hill, he stumbled slightly, regaining his balance as Ezio grasped his arm, creeping along the wall to hide once more from the Wendigo.

“Ugh… okay…” Ezio cringed, pressing himself to the rock wall with Connor following. As soon as he lowered his arm, the Wendigo crawled out from the caves, hissing sharply as it looked around for the two teens. But, without anything in its sight, the Wendigo growled, crawling back into the caves and leaping away. Gasping softly in relief and happiness, Ezio and Connor smiled at each other then gazed upon the Lodge in the distance.

* * *

## 06:36, Mines, Claudia

Hearing a screech that sounded dangerously close, Claudia turned her head towards the noise, stepping past the cabin where Edward and Arno tied Jacob up hours before. Clenching her cold fists, she started running away, taking quick looks behind her to make sure nothing was following her. But, as she did, she almost didn’t notice the fallen log in front of her, and she bent slightly to get past it. Then, she leaped down the ledge with the lodge in the distance. Running up to the door, she tried to open it, but it jiggled, it was locked.

“HEY! HEY!!!!!” She shouted in a panic, forceibly trying to open it once more. “COME ON, OPEN UP!!!! GUYS COME ON ARE YOU IN THERE?? LET ME IN!!!” She rapped her hands against the door, fear taking over her senses as something rapidly came ever so closer to her.

“Claudia-”

“Ah!” She nearly screams, but a small shout leaves her throat, seeing both Edward and Jacob alive and well, but not looking so good. “Shit, you guys! Oh gosh you look terrible-” Claudia started, but she couldn’t find anything more to say when she caught sight of Jacob, dry tears staining his face. “What-”

“Gonna look worse if we stay out here…” Edward interrupted her, looking around before gesturing to the door. “…Come on!” Nodding, Claudia knelt towards a sharp rock on the ground, making haste to pick it up and smash it through the glass pane of the door, then reach in and unlock the door. Pushing it open, the group cautiously walked in.

“Looks empty.” She spoke, breaking the thick silence that hung over them. 

Walking towards the light switch, Claudia turned it on to provide some light in the room, but Edward turned it back off. “Not good.” He muttered, turning towards the stairs that lead upstairs and into the basement. Claudia crossed her arms, still freezing slightly from the cold and the water she trudged through. Jacob pursed his lips, looking around his home with tired eyes. He now knew the real threat on this mountain, it wasn’t his illnesses or friends. He needed to get a grip if he wanted to survive, even if it was only for a little bit. Putting a hand on his arm, Claudia looked to Edward.

“What do you think we should do?” She asked.

“We should check the basement… might be someone left down there…” He said with a small frown, slapping his hands to his hips and stepping to the stairs.

* * *

“How do you rate our chances of survival?” Claudia suddenly asked, walking past the movie chairs and large screen towards the basement door. Edward sighed softly, shaking his head.

“I’m trying not to think about it.” He muttered, clenching his fists softly, but he suddenly froze when he heard rapid footsteps approaching them.

“GET OUTTA HERE GO GOGO!!!” Arno shouted, running out the open brown door and past the shocked group, with Élise and Altaïr trailing behind him. 

“GO!! RUN!!” Altaïr nearly pushed past Jacob, but Edward was already pushing him to run when Wendigos suddenly appeared coming up the stairs.

Claudia took a sharp intake of breath, looking frantically between the door and the others.

  * **Follow Edward**
  * **Lock Door**  



“Oh shit!” She shouted, quickly following the others as they ran up the stairs to get to the back door. But, when Claudia got to the stairs, the others froze on the main floor, standing completely still in fear. Arno was closest to the back door, while Élise was standing by the left staircase, and Altaïr stood by the kitchen door. Claudia raced up the stairs, clenching her fists and taking quick breaths to control her stamina. Only, Edward and Jacob now stood still in front of the main staircase, eyes wide with terror and taking quiet breaths. 

The largest Wendigo of them all was hanging on the lodge’s ceiling decoration, eyes narrowed in a heated glare as it surveyed the room. Sharp claws wrapped around the bars, and lips pulled back from its proper place, threatening to anyone who had it in sight.

“Ugh.” Claudia make a small noise when she got to the top of the stairs and ran to the main room, but quickly skidded to a stop, only now noticing how everyone was frozen. Edward looks at her from the corner of his eye and quickly whispers to her.

“Don’t… move…” He whispered, glancing up to the Wendigo when he could. “…don’t fucking move a muscle…” Mouth agape, Claudia slowly looks up, staring in traumatizing fear at the Wendigo, that she now knew was Evie, her best friend. The sweet and caring Evie that would always help a friend in need. The Evie now that could kill you in an instant and feel no remorse over it. Standing completely still, Claudia kept her eyes on the Wendigo, watching as it screeched to alert anyone of its presence. Only a few seconds later did the Wendigo quickly become distracted by the other Wendigos crawling up the stairs. As Evie hops down from the decoration, Claudia, Edward, and Jacob take a few steps back, although slowly, they do not want the powerful beings to notice them.

Standing tall like an Alpha Lion, Evie screeched as the Wendigo jumped towards her. Evie easily overpowered him, and threw him to the ground, grabbing his ankle before throwing him into the wooden stairs. She then threw the dazed being into the fireplace, where it made impact with the pipe and it disconnected. Edward looked towards the pipe, an idea forming in his head. The Wendigo quickly recovers and climbs up the wall, with Evie following it’s every move.

Looking down at the exposed pipe, Edward suddenly got an idea in his head. The pipe was leaking gas, releasing it into the atmosphere of the room. He slowly turned his head to the light bulb near the door of the kitchen, then back to the pipe. Turning his shoulder a bit, he peaked towards the back door, towards the light switch that controlled the light. They were going to blow up the lodge. Looking towards Claudia, he nodded, to which she nods in agreement. Edward then moved past Jacob, ushering him to follow the rest of the group as he walked towards the bulb. 

From above the table, a Wendigo snarls at Evie, who threw the now dead Wendigo to the side. The Wendigo climbed onto the other railing while Evie stayed on the ground. They both then leaped towards each other, the miner biting Evie on the neck with its sharp teeth. But, it fell to the ground, and Evie smashed its head into the green rug, then screeches as she tears his head off.

Stepping back towards the other path to the back door, Claudia freezes when her sneakers press against a weak spot in the floor, creating a creaking sound. Cursing loudly in her head, Claudia stood completely still as the Wendigo turned towards her screeching. Evie stepped away from the decapitated Wendigo, trying to figure out what the noise was. She looked left and right, but in her orange vision, she couldn’t find anything. From the corner of her eye, Claudia could see Edward creeping towards the light bulb, while Jacob stepped away from the stairs with shaking hands.

Upon reaching the bulb, Edward slowly raised his arm and wrapped his fingers around it, squeezing softly. He grunted, pursing his lips as it was almost harder than he thought. But, it soon gave way, and he lowered his arm while looking back at Claudia and the Wendigo. Only, Evie heard it, and turned towards the two.

Gasping softly when his back hit the door, Arno willed himself to run out with his sprained ankle and back out into the storm.

Walking towards the two, Evie stopped at the stairs, giving a heated glare to the wall in front of her. Claudia noticed the way Jacob was shaking, he’ll be dead if she didn’t do something fast.

  * **Save Edward and Jacob**
  * **Run to Switch**



Mustering up what’s left of her courage, Claudia clenched her fists and shouted, “Hey!” Upon hearing the noise, the Wendigo turned towards her and screeched loudly.

When Élise was only feet away from the door, she quickly turned and ran out after Arno.

Walking towards the brunette, the Wendigo heaved deep breaths, looking off to her right side with the same heated glare on her face. She then turned her head, screeching loudly just feet from Claudia still frame. Then, the breaths came back, and she darted her head left to right. Claudia almost breathed a sigh of relief when the monster turned and walked away from her, her back to Claudia.

  * **Hide**
  * **Run to Switch**  



Running to the wooden beam, Claudia quickly put her back to it and stayed put. Once more, Evie noticed her, and pulled her lips back into a snarl, screeching at her.

Clenching his fists, Altaïr pursed his lips as he stepped past the familiar covered furniture, recognizing the place as the back room. He turned and ran out the open door and into the storm that was steadily calming down.

Even if the Wendigo didn’t see her, Claudia still felt the piercing stare of Evie’s glare on her back. The screech she heard rang heavily in her ears, but she swallowed thickly and leaned fully against the beam. But, another screech was heard, and Evie turned her attention away. Instead, it was trained on the Wendigo at the top of the stairs. Evie leaped onto the railing of the basement stairs, glaring up at the other Wendigo.

Almost to the door, Jacob releases shuddering breaths as he slowly backs away, not running yet for he was still trying to keep his composure and not be founded. He looked towards the pictures near the kitchen door and saw Edward not far from the basement stairs. Then, he felt the cold chill on his back, he turned with one last final look to the lodge and sprinted out the open door.

  * **Hide**
  * **Run to Switch**



Darting out from behind the beam, Claudia made a run for the stone wall, leaning against it with her hands at her sides. Evie then jumps up from the railing and lands on the wooden floor, inches from Claudia’s hiding spot.

Edward shakes as he slowly back away to the door. He did not run, **he couldn’t** , not when the Wendigos were across the room. If he ran, he was done for, and he couldn’t die now, not when they’re so close to surviving, close to dawn.

Stepping closer to Claudia, Evie had a confused look on her face, but it quickly disappeared the closer she got to the brunette. They both only an inch away from each. If Claudia made one sound or move, she was **dead**. Evie then turned her face, looking towards Claudia, but not noticing she was there. She pulled back her lips, and screeched loudly, making Claudia close her eyes and think for the worst, that she noticed her and was about to kill her. But the sounds of the other Wendigo drew Evie away, and Claudia’s mouth fell agape at the discovery. She then ran from her hiding place, sprinting with all her might towards the switch. The other Wendigo starts chasing her, eyes wide and mouth agape with claws at the ready to rip her to shreads. But, as Claudia reaches for the switch, Evie jumps off the basement stairs railing and grabs the other Wendigo by the back of his shirt and pulls him back from Claudia. The switch flips, and the explosion is almost instant. From the bulb near the kitchen door, an orange and yellow ‘BOOM’ was heard as the fires spread from the main room to the back, scorching everything in its path. The two Wendigos were thrown back from the door, landing near the covered furniture as they burned with the fire. Claudia grunts loudly as the blast knocks her out the door, landing on her stomach in the chilling snow.

A helicopter then flew over the burning lodge, black smoke quickly making its way to the pink and blue sky. “We have visual. The main structure is completely destroyed, over.” The teens heard the woman’s voice from above. But, something screaming from inside the lodge made both Edward and Claudia step back, the spirit of Evie’s soul leaving the firey prison and disappearing into the sky with a yell. “Hold on… I’m seeing something…” Sitting next to Arno and Élise, Jacob grinned widely when the helicopter made its decent towards the ground. “It looks like there are survivors. Let’s pick ‘em up.”

* * *

##  **Credits**

## Arno

Pursing his lips, Arno crossed his arms. “Shay… I, er… I don’t know how to describe him I mean-” He stopped, watching the man as he folded his hands on his lap.

“You said you thought he was stalking you at first- did anyone else in your group think that?” Sighing nasally, Arno nodded.

“Well yeah-” 

“Is it possible they could have killed him?” At his question, Arno’s face was struck with horror.

“What? No, no you don’t understand. Don’t you underst-”

“If he attacked you-” An angry huff escaped the brunette, soon leaning forward to glare at the man.

“He saved my life. And I watched him **die**.”

* * *

## Élise

Putting her elbows on the table, Élise opened her mouth to speak. “I heard Ezio. I don’t know how or why he was down there, but I know I **heard** him.” She explained, blue eyes widening in terror.

* * *

## Altaïr

“Where’s Connor? Is he okay? Are they done looking at him?” Altaïr asked, interlacing his hands as he looked down in worry. “I’m just a little worried because, you know, I’m his boyfriend.” His voice lowered to a whisper, hoping Connor wasn’t dead. Did he tell you that? I mean, I probably wasn’t his favorite person there for a couple minutes, but he knows how devoted I am to him.” He remembered when Connor tried to reach down for him, but he jumped to the ledge. There was no point in the both of them dying. “He knows. He said he knows, **right**?”

* * *

## Connor

Biting his lip, Connor looked off to the side. “I was right there, and I could have done something–I tried to do something…” A deep sigh left him, shaking his head. “I wasn’t **good** enough.”

* * *

## Ezio

Wrapped up in a thick blanket, Ezio kept his eyes to the table, not having the strength to look up and face the interviewer. “How did you end up in the mines?” Trying to process the question, Ezio leaned forward, a hand coming up to cover the cuts on his chest.

“I was carried… and… **taken** … and…” He stuttered, throat dry and body aching. 

“What did you see?” At the question, Ezio shook his head, gasping quietly.

“I don’t know… I-I don’t know.”

* * *

“…Edward…” Suddenly remembering the events after the cabin.

“What do you remember?” At the memory, Ezio smiled.

“He came for me…! He did…!” He nodded, gazing into the camera with interest.

“Came for you?” He strayed from the question, looking around.

“Where is he…? Did he make it…?”

* * *

## Edward

Biting his lip, Edward sighed deeply. “He was out of his fucking mind.” He muttered, talking about Jacob. “He wanted to hurt us. Yeah, he… and…” He paused, gazing to the floor with a solemn look. “I thought he was the one who **attacked** Ezio.”

* * *

## Claudia

“I thought we were close…” Claudia gave a small smile. “…after Evie disappeared, he’d come and talk to me… he said I was the only one who understood him.” She frowned, shaking her head. “I thought… I thought we had a connection.” The man in front of her put his hands on the table.

“If you need someone to talk to-” Putting a hand up, she shook her head.

“I’m fine.” 

“Sometimes…” He paused, getting her attention. “…after a traumatic experience-” Clenching her fists, Claudia glared at the man.

“I said I’m **fine**.”

* * *

## Jacob

“Maybe… maybe if I hadn’t been so… twisted up on revenge…” He sighed, shaking his head as he looked down in shame. “I could’ve prevented that man’s death. Could’ve saved them from the traumatizing experience… could’ve saved Ezio from nearly dying to his injuries… could’ve preventing Evie’s death.” He put his hands on his eyes, trying to block out the tears from escaping his eyes.

“Mr. Frye, think about it like this,” the woman said, “if you hadn’t invited your friends to the lodge, the Wendigos would still be out and about. So, in a way, you saved everyone from being killed anyway.” Jacob removed his hands from his face at her words, letting his almost angry tears flow free. He leaned forward, glaring at the woman.

“Yeah, but it **cost** them their **happy lives**.”

* * *

## Ezio

“Your friend Élise, she told us she tried to help you.” Ezio winced, shaking his head.

“No…”

“She said she heard you calling out.” Putting his bottom lip between his teeth, Ezio slowly closed his eyes.

“No… **not** me…” 

* * *

## Claudia

Taking a deep breath, Claudia leaned forward, looking the camera and the detective in the eyes. “You need to listen to me.” She whispered, face twitching with grief. “I don’t care if you believe me or not. Doesn’t matter because you will.” Pausing, she blinked twice. “You need to go down to the mines.” Her voice cracked, her thoughts trailing to the body of the Stranger, the scrawled journal, and the fate of Jacob Frye.

“What’s in the mines, Claudia?” The detective asked, putting his elbows on the table so he could hear what she was saying. A smile then stretched across her face, eyes darkening with a sudden revelation.

“I’ve seen what’s down there… and I’d give **anything** to unsee it.”


End file.
